By Andreea Patru

There’s something about Pierre and Francine’s encounter in Emmanuel Marre’s Castle to Castle (D’un château l’autre, 2018) that reminds me of the endearing camaraderie between Harold and Maude (1971) in Hal Hashby’s homonymous cult film. Francine overlooking Paris heartbreakingly confesses about her sons’ estrangement: “when they come I am so happy that when they leave it breaks my heart.” In this year’s Las Palmas Film Festival short film competition, society gets in the way of how bonds form, altered to the point blood ties seem meaningless.