The Egg

An old man gets an egg, boils it, and puts it in his mouth. Meanwhile, the commentary, the voice of an old man, describes the characteristics of the egg and explains how to cook and eat it. is in black-and-white, with tightly composed shots in which the egg is sometimes only barely identifiable. When the voice says "Wait a few minutes for the egg to cook," the film of the egg being boiled in water is sped up. is based on "To Prepare a Hard Boiled Egg," a monologue by the absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco. The film's director Ekaterina Deneva made while training as a documentary director at the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. Made in the style of an instructional film, seems to be passing comment on the lessons that are at the foundation of this student film. Deneva explores the boundaries not only between convention and reality, but also between documentary and fiction. But perhaps this interpretation is too limited or, rather, too specific; perhaps it is not the filmmaker, but the viewer who is the egg seeking interpretation. Or is it actually all about an egg that wants to remain absurd?