After 20 years of silence, Olga returns to her great-grandparents’ house, where she spent her childhood. The much-awaited family reunion is overshadowed by her attempt to confront her uncle, who sexually abused her when she was 9, who still doesn’t regret what he did and even justifies his actions with a reconciled attitude. He claims that everything he did took place with her consent, although at that age the girl didn’t even have the words to process what was happening to her. The director points out that it’s not the strangers, as many might think, but precisely the people close to the family who are more susceptible to traumatize children, because they already have the trust of their parents and, implicitly, that of the children. The movie is an almost poetic foray into a simple world: the world of childhood in the countryside; time goes by slowly, heavily, just as the burden of all the unasked questions weighed heavily. The old man’s justifications blend with her unspoken pain, just like Russian and Romanian blend in the speech of the old women who reminiscence about their youth. (Sorana Stănescu)
AUDIO: Romanian, Russian
SUBTITLE: Romanian, English
awards and festivals
Vilnius International Short Film Festival 2022 - Grand Prix
Berlin International Film Festival 2021 - Golden Berlin Bear - Best Short Film
Beldocs Festival 2021 - Jury Prize - Best Short
DocAviv Film Festival 2021 - Best Short Film - Honorable Mention
ZagrebDox 2021 - Big Stamp Award
Uppsala International Short Film Festival 2021 - Audience Award
Norwegian Short Film Festival 2021 - Golden Chair Award
Hamburg International Short Film Festival 2021 - Deframed Award
Guanajuato International Film Festival 2021 - Best Documentary Short Film
Go Short International Short Film Festival Nijmegen 2021 - Audience Award
Festival du nouveau cinéma 2021 - Best International Short Film
Ghent International Film Festival 2021
Krakow Film Festival 2021
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2021
Riga International Film Festival 2021
European Film Awards 2021
Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2021