Robinson is a doctor and his solitude is voluntary on an island invaded by migrants, NGOs and guards. He saves Friday, a castaway, the only survivor of an illegal refugee boat.
During his days on the island, Robinson encounters extraordinary beings and witnesses extraordinary events. Through visual poetry and symbolism, the film speaks of current affairs in a world where everyone seeks their piece of paradise.
"Near the starting point to The Island was a conference on minorities that I attended at Sundance 2019 while I was presenting my short film The Call. I remember that Tabitha Jackson (Sundance Director) said that we should retell stories that entered the collective memory as colonialist in a way that will restore the right angle.
I was thinking of Robinson Crusoe’s story and [...] I had the idea to do a musical with a new Robinson, a doctor that has the best of intentions, and a Friday from our days – a refugee – on an Island in our contemporary reality where the world is collapsing.
I wanted the reality of the film to be immersive, so the space was developed in 3D, with added fluid elements developed in Houdini – the sea, the clouds. The concept was that everything that is man-made doesn’t integrate in the nature, so we have real textures for plastic, metal, fabric. The same texturing we applied also for the cloth of the characters that are in 2D.
In my concept, only what is made by nature remains painted."
- Anca Damian