A fragmented road trip becomes a portrait of love, loss, and memory. Antoine Pret and Elena Bonhomme direct “Cinq étapes,” a black-and-white, 16mm snapshot that connects a French road map with five steps of grieving. Monica pulls off to the side of the road. She pays her respects to a small memorial. We cut to scenes where she’s accompanied by a man named Izaak. Together they record audio journals on his microcassette recorder and contemplate beverage choices at the gas station. We join them from quiet moments to conversations in the car and beyond. Elliptical in form, the film portrays a fleeting journey with stylish compositions and lo-fi dreaminess. -JM. Featuring Robert Knorr and Cristina Colomb. Directors : Antoine Pret and Elena Bonhomme. Cinematographers : Antoine Pret and Sasha Metgy. Sound design : Maxime Barthe. Art director : Elena Bonhomme. Editors : Antoine Pret & Alexandre Buczynski. Producer : Tiphaine Robion.