Adrià Guxens’ short film An Instant captures the fleeting power of a single encounter to reshape lives. It is a tender, finely crafted work that lingers in memory long after its brief runtime.
At its heart is Hugo (Adrià Sánchez-Campo), a young man locked into the rhythm of routine and responsibility. He lives anchored to the past, unable to see beyond the safe, familiar patterns he’s built. Enter Cosmo (Marc Joy), a free spirit untethered by obligation, whose life is defined by spontaneity and forward motion. Their paths cross one summer afternoon—just an instant—but from it blooms a fragile friendship, one that forces Hugo to pause and, perhaps for the first time, truly inhabit the present.
What makes An Instant remarkable is not revelation, but reflection. Guxens’ direction emphasises performance, dialogue, and atmosphere, crafting a film that feels like a pause in time. It’s a meditation on freedom, intimacy, and the significance of small moments—those fleeting details that can quietly alter the course of a life. Victòria Llena rounds out the cast, contributing to the film’s understated yet resonant emotional core.
The film has been widely recognised on the international circuit. It premiered with acclaim, winning Best International Student Film at the Zaragoza International Film Festival
in 2017, and went on to screen at prestigious festivals including Reeling in Chicago, Outshine in Miami, Kashish in Mumbai, and Barcelona’s International LGBT Film Festival, among many others.
Ultimately, An Instant resists the need for grand revelations. Instead, it offers a delicate reflection on how a brief connection can nudge us toward change. Profound and beautiful in its restraint, it is a film that reminds us of the meaning hidden in life’s smallest encounters.
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