One of Anton Chekhov’s early short stories consists of letters between two lovers. It is called He and She and was written in 1882. It has now been reinterpreted by director, Daria Geller. Geller’s film, Him & Her, is an anti-fairy tale. It’s anti-romantic, it’s unsettling and masterfully created – a tale of love and hate that revolves around the idea that the two are inescapably connected. Its rawness and honesty are characteristic of Geller’s work.
It’s also a film about Russian culture, featuring garments by Russian labels, Lesyanebo and Brier-wear. Daria has set his film across three distinct locations chosen for their clear Soviet design, Hotel Che, Hotel Uzkoe and the Central House of Architecture. The Russian identity is equally felt through the film’s lack of dialogue, something which would normally fill a relationship. Unable to openly talk during the Soviet Union, communicating without speaking and focusing on the unsaid has now become part of the Russian way of living.
Him & Her is the first narrative short film directed by Geller. Currently it’s being screened at a range of international film festivals and has won Best Short Film and Best Actress at Cinalfama, Best Short and Best Cinematography at Indie Short Fest and has been nominated for Best Cinematography at ARFF Berlin International Awards.
Her earlier film, Collapsology, also explored relationships. The fashion film for Brier, was a study in love and self-sabotage.
Geller was born and raised in Moscow and enrolled in Russia’s top film school, VGIK, at the age of sixteen. She now lives and works between Paris and Tel Aviv and has worked as a director and a director of photography on commercials, fashion films, narrative and documentaries across Europe, in Russia and the Middle East.
Geller’s first film for Brier, a reinterpretation of T.S. Eliot’s famous poem, The Love Song of won J. Alfred Prufrock, won Best Middle Eastern film at Berlin Fashion Film Festival 2017 and a nomination for Best Music Video at the BRITS Awards in 2016. Her music video, In the Middle for Son Little won Best Music Video at the Oniros Festival. Her music video, Symphony, for Clean Bandit won a nomination for Best Music Video at the 2017 Brit Awards.
