Chris’ thirtieth Birthday party is turned upside down when he finds out there is a ticking bomb growing in his stomach. Bomb expert Alim is brought in to defuse both the bomb and the tension.
Semi-finalist – Rhode Island International Film Festival 2021
Director – Angelo Raaijmakers
Angelo Raaijmakers graduated from the AKV|ST. Joost – School of Fine Arts and Design in 2015. His graduation film SAD SPIRIT was screened at 10 festivals both in the Netherlands and internationally. For the Dutch broadcaster the VPRO Angelo made CORN, a short porn film as part of the documentary series VIEZE FILM in 2017, which has been viewed online by more than 100.000 people. In 2020 Angelo made the short film WHEN I EXPLODE which was selected for the talent development program ‘’De Ontmoeting’’, and was made in collaboration with Volya Films. Angelo has recently finished his second short film I, ADONIS with production company PRPL, and with the support of the Netherlands Film Fund and the city of Rotterdam. Besides writing and directing films, Angelo has a trailer editing company called TRAILERMADE and makes corporate video content with his company RAAIJMAKERS FILMS.
Director Statement
My whole life I am searching. And with ‘‘searching’’, I mean for the big things in life: I search for purpose, happiness, meaning… I want to take as much as possible from this life. I want to mean something, to be seen. In that search for purpose, it sometimes feels as if I lose a lot that I hold dear. Because it is never good enough and the answer always seems to be somewhere else. In my search, I often disconnect with the outside world and from the people that I care about. It often literally feels like I am a ticking time bomb. Within this short time span that is my life, I have to find what I am looking for. Or else, it is all for nothing. Every birthday feels like a step closer to failing that search.
When I wrote this script and shared it with friends and colleagues, I noticed that I was not alone in this feeling. People recognized themselves in my story. I realized that I had written something more than just a personal expe- rience. It feels like something from this time, and this generation. In this time of individualism and high pressure, I see it as important that we keep connecting with each other. Through this film, I want to inspire people to keep listening to each other and to tell the audience that we are not alone in this sometimes lonely search for meaning.