Getting Fat in a Healthy Way

Bulgaria-based director Kevork Aslanyan’s European Short Film Festival-winning sci-fi short sees a man trying to overcome an obstacle of gravitas for love. In a dystopian post-communist world, Constantine and his father Atanas share a small flat in a run-down apartment block. A tragic accident has disturbed gravity on Earth beyond repair, so everyone weighing less than 120 kilos flies up into space. With only 60kg body weight, Constantine cannot go outside, nor does he want to. Stuck in the flat, at the mercy of the electrical mood swings of a household gravitational normalizer, Constantine leads an almost normal life. He is content spending the days looking at the world through his window. Until the beautifully plump stewardess moving in next door changes everything.

Directed by Kevork Aslanyan, Getting Fat in a Healthy Way leans on a strong ensemble — Ovanes Torosian, Petyo Cekov, Keti Raykova — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 2015.