Montreal. On Christmas Eve, a package is delivered to the middle-class house where Maia, her mother and her teenage daughter Alex live. A present? While the two women want the parcel to disappear into the cellar as quickly as possible, Alex's curiosity is aroused. She secretly explores the letters from Maia to her friend in exile in Paris, old photos and films. They remind Alex of her mother's youth, her first great love and her painful experiences during the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990). Maia's veil of silence slowly begins to lift under her daughter's pressing questions.
Based on a personal story consisting of letters by Joana Hadjithomas and pictures by Khalil Joreige, the film reconstructs the past in different ways: with archive material, Super 8 footage, graphic novel fragments, playful flights of fancy and emotional impressions - mirrored with the cell phone aesthetic of the present. Once again, the filmmakers explore the fragmented evidence of Lebanese history and diaspora. At the end, the directing duo unite their characters in Beirut at a moving celebration - outlining the hope for a possible better future.
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Joana Hadjithomas
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Khalil Joreige