Alberte and Nicole are mother and daughter, three decades apart. At 55 and 87, they still live together in a villa by Lake Geneva, having settled into a codependent dynamic: Nicole is reluctant to leave her mother, while Alberte struggles to let her go, fearing living alone. In a house filled with memorabilia, cats, and too many clocks, the familiar feels safe for the mother‑daughter duo who often doze off like synchronised swimmers. However, as time passes, the family grows concerned about Nicole’s autonomy. Nicole is considered neuroatypical, “ambivalent” regarding the perceived condition, and few facilities are equipped to provide adequate support. Nicole’s sister, Danielle, then decides to assist her in a search for a flat and a job. These scenes unfold alongside the family’s daily life and the intimate conversations in front of the camera. Nicole also embarks on a playful creative exercise with her filmmaker niece Lauren, imagining life’s many scenarios.

Sevara Pan

Alba Zari was born in Bangkok inside what was said to be “a hippie community” that her grandmother, Rosa, and her mother, Ivana, had joined. But she doesn’t recall much of her childhood. Longing for answers, Alba delves into the painful work of remembering: trying to understand her grandmother’s decision to join the Children of God sect, the far‑reaching consequences of her mother’s indoctrination, and her father’s identity. In conversations and everyday moments with her grandmother and mother, Alba learns more about the cult, the ‘Flirty Fishing’ practice, and widespread sexual and psychological abuse of its members, including children. The traces of pain are still tangible years later, showing in Alba’s tears rushing out before words, in the trembling of hands, and in her mother’s constant over-apologising. Alba “lives the questions”, hoping to find answers; however, as the journey unfurls, she realises it may not be about answers but about accepting absence as a constant presence, and not being defined by it. A film about family wounds, memory, and the resilience of ties that bind us.

Sevara Pan