Grand dreams, a sharp mind, and a desire to be noticed. When all these meet, you get the story of Aiko, a chemistry enthusiast. He loves to explore his passion through unusual experiments, but as his experiments do not garner enough applause in the real world, he seeks support online. Now the seventeen-year-old sets himself a challenge that will be impossible to ignore. The only question is whether such a feat is too big for him. With its static imagery and mysterious music, the film creates a melancholic and tense atmosphere, raising the question of how far we are willing to go just to be seen.
Let this film take you away into a chemical whirlwind of genius and absurdity!
»The film evokes pleasant and uncomfortable feelings all at once. It embraces us, yet leaves us on our own.«
– Ella Zupanc, 11th Kinotrip Young Programmer
»Through its uneasy atmosphere, the film shows how quickly loneliness and the need for validation can push a person to extremes. Between the digital world and the human need for closeness, it crafts an anxious portrait of a society fascinated by the bizarre – until it takes its toll.«
– Lana Sirc, 11th Kinotrip Young Programmer
»The village setting, the production design, the music, the cinematography – everything exudes care and precision. And above all, there is Guus Blanken. His Aike is no caricature, but a tragic antihero of gigantic proportions: awkward, ambitious, and utterly alone. He carries the film with a seriousness that commands admiration.«
– Martijn Smits, CineMagazin
In collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.