EDERLEZI RISING

2148. Milutin is a skilled astronaut working for the Ederlezi Corporation. He just finished his training to participate in the most dangerous mission ever; an expedition to Alpha Centauri, the only planet suitable for human life. As the journey is going to be very long, the astronaut might risk getting bored. The Ederlezi Corporation has provided a partner for Milutin. Nimani is an android adapted to the astronaut’s psychological profile. Because of Milutin’s misogynist nature, his sexualized tamagochi is in serious risk of breaking down before they reach their destination. Thousand light years away from Earth, Milutin feels like a god with his remote controlling Nimani’s desires. She evolves from colleague to lover and from lover to sexual slave. As boundaries are being broken, Milutin’s lust for domination can no longer be fulfilled by a piece of software. He decides to reboot Nimani and to implant the final touch: real emotions! Ederlezi Rising, aesthetically reminding us of Tarkovski’s Solaris, is a bold science-fiction movie from Serbia. Our Serbian friends are not known to hold back when it comes to cinema (A Serbian Film, anyone!?) and in Ederlezi Rising they live up to their reputation. Lazar Bodroza’s first feature delves deeply into our most primal desires. It also evokes fellow countrywoman and renowned shock-artist Marina Abramovic’s 1974 performance, where she let herself be abused by the audience. Adult movie enthusiasts will recognize Stoya, who has put her porn career aside to put us men firmly in our place.