Stefan is a construction worker in Brussels who’s preparing for a trip home to Romania. Over the course of his strolls and his farewell visits with friends and family — many of whom get to enjoy a bowl of the soup that Stefan has thoughtfully prepared — he has a fateful encounter with a doctoral student who also works in her aunt’s restaurant. Her area of research is mosses, and her poetic observations and insights on the topic of these ancient plants bring a new focus to Stefan’s interest in the wilderness that persists in the city’s parks and peripheries.
Shooting on 16mm and making extraordinary use of natural light, Bas Devos captures their interactions with the world and each other with a sense of patience, grace, and limitless curiosity. In so doing, he has created a subtle, inventive, and deeply affecting celebration of the treasures that perpetually surround us, whether they are being shared with those next to us… or simply growing underfoot.
