New Director Eugen Merher on Break Free

Deciding on directing as a career choice isn’t easy, particularly with pushy parents who’d prefer you to study a more traditional subject. Such was the case for Moldova-born Eugen Merher who initially settled on communication science at university because he felt he lacked the experience to pursue his true passion for filmmaking.

Ever since discovering his love of directing on a family vacation aged 11, when he first picked up a camera, claiming he had nothing else to do, he has longed to convert his interest in filmmaking into something more professional. Which is why he began “officially” directing more than six years ago, realising it was the industry he wanted to get into, after he found himself shooting short films instead of revising for his exams. Merher enrolled at Germany’s Filmacademy Baden-Wuerttemberg in 2014, where he is still a student.

Keen to establish himself as a commercials director, he admits he’s learning to listen to his instincts and follow his intuition. “I try to listen inside myself to find out what kind of story I want to tell and what feeling I want to convey,” he says, describing his creative process. “Then I find a product and/or brand that matches that feeling and I start creating an idea.”

The school regularly sets its students practical assignments and it was Merher’s spec spot for adidas, Break Free, that caught the attention of the creative press. Since it was uploaded to YouTube in December last year, it has amassed over 11.5 million views, trended in YouTube’s top 30 videos and continues to be shared – not bad for a film student’s spec work.

Set in a nursing home, the spot follows an elderly man who struggles to accept his restrictive and depressing surroundings. Pining for a run, he frequently looks longingly and regretfully at his old running shoes. Inspired to go for one last run he is constantly thwarted and restrained by the care home staff.

The main character’s fellow residents also show echoes of the former lives they’ve lost… and perhaps not realised: watering the home’s TV set rather than their old garden, dancing in their rooms with imaginary partners.

“Being a director helps me dive into the perspectives of different characters and worlds, which I love,” says Merher. “And I’ve realised it’s a lifelong learning process to become really good at directing.”

He admits that he’s a bit of a people-watcher: “I’m mostly inspired through real-life encounters with extraordinary people, human weirdness and my own daydreams,” which is perhaps why the creative industry appealed.

This year, he’s got more work planned – shooting a commercial for match.com in March, a sci-fi short film in July and working on a feature film screenplay. It’s early days, and Merher continues to study and refine his craft, but at least he can tell his parents he’s on the right track