Fools

Running time: N/A

United States Premiere. Roman has a passionless life. A good son, whose best friend is his elderly mother, Roman is always left out of the camaraderie with his boisterous colleagues at work. But when he is invited to attend the "women's carnival" masquerade party, his life changes forever. After meeting the mysterious Stella and discovering love for the first time, Roman witnesses the beating of a young man in a Zorro costume. When his offer to help is turned down, he returns to Stella, only to find that she has disappeared. Plagued by nightmares and plunging into a lunatic's psychosis, Roman sets out on a surrealistic journey, wandering the Mardi Gras-like circus streets, determined to unravel the complexities surrounding Stella, the events he's observed and his own personal struggle to find himself. Christoph Bach (who bears a remarkable resemblance to a young Robert DeNiro) gives the striking performance of an inhibited man dealing with his feelings on previously unknown issues of passion, guilt, faith and death. With touches of humor, and full of surprises, Fools takes us through the colorful and hectic throngs of the carnival to discover with Roman what it feels like to be truly alive. - Sandy Wolf