“Alba Rosa” is a compelling drama that follows Grace, a woman dealing with grief and loneliness after her husband’s death during a terrorist attack.
There is a lot to say about this film, the first of which is to highlight the complexity and beauty of this story. While the movie itself might be a bit short with a 68-minute length, the script wastes no time to get to its central premise and immerse us in Grace’s life as we follow her on her day-to-day routine as she tries to cope with the loss of her husband. With a clever and sensitive hand, the film illustrates the contrast between what life used to be for Grace and what it is now, and how such a drastic change affects her relationship with her son, neighbors, and therapist.
To achieve this, director Bogdan Radu and screenwriter Thomas Kear create an isolated atmosphere that perfectly captures Grace’s emotions. From time to time, she comes to deal with other people such as her son, her neighbor, her therapist, and even a delivery man, but, most of the time, she is completely alone, living in a house full of memories that she can’t let go, yet can’t fully remember either. After all, she has gone through a traumatic situation and the memories of this event are replacing the ones of what used to be a happy, lovely life.
This is, perhaps, where the film shines the most… in exploring not only the grief of losing someone dear but the way she did it. Grace wasn’t expecting her husband to die in the slightest. It was an event that happened out of the blue and for reasons beyond their control. From one moment to the next, life forever changed for her and she can’t fully accept it. How could she? How could a life end just like that? As Grace herself mentions, her husband was an entire person and now he is gone, and neither her mind nor her heart can fully accept it. She knows it won’t happen, but she wants him back. She wants to see him so bad that she begins to live in her memories, yet those memories begin to be twisted by what she can’t deny but need to accept… that terrible event. The more she refuses to accept it, the bigger its presence. She begins to forget her husband’s face before the attack and her nightmares turn so livid that, at one point, she no longer knows what’s real and what’s not. And what is even worse is that even though having spent an entire lifetime of good memories, is the last of these the one that seems to define her life with her husband the most.
Sure enough, the answer is there all along. The only way to get through this is by going through it. By accepting by. By talking about it. By exploring her emotions. By moving on. But Grace isn’t ready for that. She wants the impossible, and until she lets it go, she will continue to be haunted by her traumatic memories. And that is the beauty of this story. The way it explores both grief and trauma. Neither Radu nor Kear take an easy way out. There are no big twists that change Grace’s emotions out of the blue. Much like in real life, it’s all about going through this whole process until every emotion is purged and one is ready to move on. Grace will be stubborn a lot of the time and will refuse help from the people who love or care for her, and will feel like she is the only one who has gone through something like that… until she realizes that she is not, and that there is still a lot to live for. Again, every person who has gone through either grief or trauma has experienced Grace’s emotions, and the realistic approach offered by the filmmakers will make them feel connected to the film.
Now, to achieve this, Radu, who is making his feature debut, employs a smart use of visual elements. As noted, the film stands out for creating a lonely, isolated atmosphere at every moment. Even when Grace is meeting with her son or neighbors, there is an inherent sense of loneliness around her that is created by a clever use of colors as well as empty space. Grace moves through big empty spaces at all times. It doesn’t matter if she is at home or her therapist’s office, there is just too much empty space all around that beautifully represents what Grace’s world feels like right now, and that, at the same time, makes us experience the film. Radu isn’t telling us a story. He’s making us feel it, and that is always the first rule of every good film. And for a feature debut, this is quite an accomplishment and solid evidence of Bogdan Radu’s directing skills.
Last but not least, a fair amount of the film’s success needs to be credited to its cast, particularly Nicola Wright who plays Grace in a tour-de-force performance. Wright is committed to her role and presents Grace in all of her phases, from a fragile woman struggling to move on, to a fierce, angered person demanding for justice and meaning to life itself. She showcases a wide range of emotions that become the spotlight of every scene. Yes, the cinematography and color grading play a great role in showing us Grace’s world, but hadn’t Radu found the perfect choice for this role, the result might not have been as powerful. But Wright absorbs the atmosphere created by Radu and canalizes it through Grace to make the film come alive from the very first moments. Supporting players Charlie Clee and Keith Hill also deserve an honorable mention as their performances help to expand the film’s world even more.
All of this makes “Alba Rosa” a remarkable piece in every sense, and a powerful debut for filmmaker Bogdan Radu.
