The End of Suffering (A Proposal) (2020) dir. Jacqueline Lentzo

Jacqueline Lentzou’s films make contemplation feel urgent, always sensitively attuned to the restlessness of early adulthood. She made her feature debut at the 2021 Berlinale with Moon, 66 Questions, anchored by her dynamic frequent lead Sofia Kokkali. Lentzou’s 2020 Locarno selection The End of Suffering (A Proposal)—also featured in our series of short films currently screening on the Criterion Channel—is her surprising, philosophical twist on science fiction. The short begins with Sofia (Kokkali) having a panic attack on public transportation, but moves swiftly to vistas of faraway galaxies, initiating a conversation with a voice from Mars. This premise was inspired by a vivid connection Lentzou felt with a deep-red star one night, leading her to envision “how things may be over there: another planet, another space and time.” Lentzou layers details of life on the red planet—there is no time, so there is no anxiety—over handheld footage of desert terrain, which evokes a dreamlike nature documentary.