Synopsis

A nightmare that became reality: Only 16 years old, Ana was institutionalised by her parents, apparently because of her drug addiction, but in truth because she admitted to being homosexual. She spent a total of five horrible years in the heartfelt hell of a psychiatric ward. For a whole year, Croatian director Hrvoje Mabić followed Ana, by now a young adult, along her tough path through an equally tough life. Ana still painfully remembers how much she had suffered in the past under her father’s contempt and her mother’s lack of understanding, under the imposed restraints in the clinic, and from her resulting solitude. And she bluntly speaks about her current emotions, such as her feelings about the relationship with her girlfriend Martina or her desire for retribution in return for the misdeeds she had to endure. By participating in this touching documentary, where she turns her inner self outside for everybody to see, the protagonist’s efforts throw light on the issue, and evoke an understanding of her fate, which eventually allows her to overcome her trauma. The film ultimately takes a surprising turn for the better, moving far away from hopelessness and towards optimism and new vigour; something that not only does Ana good, but also the audience.

Guests

Hrvoje Mabic

Hrvoje Mabić

Director and scriptwriter Sick

In Vienna: March 23-26