Absences

The film opens with some amateur video footage: parents and children reunited in the same bed, the joy of being together, the last remains of what used to be a family. How does one film absence and pain – and the strength to go on living? Making exceptionally good use of cinematographic language, Tatiana Huezo examines Mexico’s dark side. She gives us the perspective of a woman, a mother. Once again, she’s on the side of those who’re left behind. Their loved ones have disappeared without trace. We listen to her story, her emotion and how hard it is to love the child that’s still there when the other child has gone. From this personal tale emerges a trajectory of collective resistance, the struggle to go on living made up of simple things such as watching one’s child swim.

Éva Tourrent
Tënk artistic director