A remarkable first film by Yan Nascimbene, who had been a painter until two years ago. "Minimal" and "Post-minimal' ' art have always been his primary interest-now he sets out to transfer and adapt the aesthetics of painting to film. This makes The Mediterranean a very personal, and in many ways, autobiographical film.

It is the story of Paul and Joan, who met ten years ago in a dreamlike romance at a Mediterranean seaside resort. They now feel that a change is needed in order to restore the original warmth of their relationship. Hired as caretakers, they move to a secluded ranch in California with their four-year-old daughter, Sophie.

To Paul only the present matters, and his closeness with Joan. He desperately tries to imprison her in his claustrophobic fantasy by taking pictures, recording their conversations, and making collages from bits and pieces of their environment. However, Joan's need for more freedom inevitably leads to a confrontation.