Goodbye Stranger
Tragicomic drama about a successful playlist curator at a major streaming service who one summer day is forced to reflect on the life he has set out for himself.
It’s smooth sailing ahead for Paul, a hugely successful playlist curator for a music streaming service. He’s pretty sure he’s about to land a major promotion, so he and his girlfriend have excitedly arranged to move from pedestrian, provincial Amsterdam to ultra-cosmopolitan London. Then a spanner is thrown into the works: the big boss decides to consider another candidate and tells Paul he’ll confirm his choice for the placement the following day.
Over the course of the next 24 hours, Paul unexpectedly finds himself analysing the choices he has made. Is he better off with his sexy lawyer girlfriend, or did he give up on his author ex-boyfriend too soon? Is big, bustling London really where he wants to be, instead of placid, beautiful Amsterdam? Is a corporate career the right thing for him or is he not quite finished with the raucous rock’n’roll lifestyle?
GOODBYE STRANGER is the musical feature debut of Aaron Rookus. The filmmaker sharply captures the zeitgeist with the tragicomic story of a twenty-something with a top job in the music industry who is confronted with his own imperfections. The film had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.