"In My Parents' House"
Antipode Sales and Distribution announces the Asian premiere of the family drama "In My Parents' House" by newcomer Tim Ellrich at Beijing IFF as part of the Official Selection of Tiantan Award. The film produced by Coronado Film; Elemag Pictures and Port au Prince will premiere next April 24th. "The film is inspired by my own family’s experience with my schizophrenic uncle, who lived in the attic at my grandparents’ house until his death", said Tim Ellrich.
SYNOPSIS
A spiritual healer takes on the care of her schizophrenic brother and ageing parents. As she tries to bring change to a family entrenched in silence, she is confronted with a man who refuses any kind of help. In her parents‘ house, Holle‘s brother Sven has been living in silent isolation for decades. He remains detached from the family‘s life, seeming to fade away more and more each year. What goes on inside him is a mystery to everyone, and his family has quietly come to terms with the situation – a fragile balance of silence and tolerance.
Only Holle is the one who has never fully accepted this situation. Nevertheless, she no longer brings it up, focusing instead on her new calling as a spiritual healer. For the first time, Holle is taking steps toward her own self-fulfillment. But when her mother is unexpectedly admitted to the hospital, the deceptive calm shatters. Holle is increasingly confronted with her brother‘s worsening condition and becomes determined to help him, despite his resistance and the fa- mily’s reluctance. While her other siblings look away, Holle senses a far greater crisis looming.
"’In My Parents’ House’ is a film that speaks to everyone who knows the feeling helplessness in families that deal with a family member in need of help and care. It is about our will to help and our inability to do so sometimes. Without giving a simplified solution, I want to give attention to complex problems and enable a platform for people to talk about it. For me, cinema is all about that: Sitting in a dark room with strangers, realizing that the person on the screen is a lot like oneself and feeling less alone because of it," added the director.
