World Premiere
In 1999, 11-year-old Nisha Platzer lost her older brother, Josh, to suicide. Twenty years later, her search for a specialized medical treatment leads her to the door of someone who was once exceptionally close to Josh. And so it is that she finally has the chance to truly know her brother through his chosen family. Captured over five years in which synchronicities continually manifested, Platzer’s documentation of these encounters gently asserts that both grieving and healing are meant to be communal experiences.
The resulting back home includes candid interviews, lyrical visuals, evocative motifs, and segments in which filmstock has been hand-processed in seawater, plants, soil, and Josh’s ashes. Eloquently edited, the film establishes a meditative pace that allows a viewer space to reflect upon what’s being imparted and draw parallels to their own experiences. And, as it builds to a quietly staggering close, Platzer’s film instills in a viewer a desire to connect with those they hold dear.
Q&A Sept 30 & Oct 2
Presented by
Media Partner
Nisha Platzer, Swan, Sara Kendall, Sam Bligh, Zac Bligh, Rebecca Bligh
Canada/Cuba
2022
English
Self Harm, Flashing strobe lights
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
How Deep Is Your Love
Filmmaker Eleanor Mortimer tags along with a team of oceanographers and marine biologists as they survey the Clarion-Clipperton fracture, one of the most remote spots on Earth, home to a dazzling array of unknown creatures.
Blue Heron
In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her Hungarian immigrant family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island. Their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behaviour from Jeremy, the family’s oldest child.
The Last One for the Road
Two middle-aged drunkards drive across the Veneto region on a freewheeling bender, taking a young college student along for the ride. A celebration of the spirit of drink and the kinds of stories told around a table of old friends and too much wine.
The Art of Adventure
The unbelievable adventure story of how painter Robert Bateman and ecologist Bristol Foster drove a Land Rover from Africa to Australia in 1957, developing a love of nature to last a lifetime. An inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.
Holy Days
After his mom passes, Brian (Elijah Tamati) is comforted by Sisters Agnes, Luke and Mary Clare (Judy Davis, Miriam Margolyes and Jacki Weaver, respectively). The quirky quartet hit the road to save their convent from being sold to a property developer.
Credits
Executive Producer
John Bolton
Producer
Joella Cabalu, Nisha Platzer
Screenwriter
Nisha Platzer, Jenn Strom
Cinematography
Suzanne Friesen, Flávio Rebouças
Editor
Jenn Strom, Milena Salazar
Production Design
Alexander Nolan
Original Music
Todd Macdonald – Norvaiza
Director
Photo by Erika Lind
Nisha Platzer
Nisha Platzer (she/her) is a queer artist and filmmaker from Vancouver, Canada. Her last short film, Vaivén (2020) won the Best Film Award at aluCine Latin Film & Media Arts Festival and competed at Raindance Film Festival, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, International Documentary Film Festival of Buenos Aires (FIDBA), and Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival. Platzer studied at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (EICTV) in Cuba. She teaches handmade film workshops and is a member of Iris Film Collective. back home, her first feature documentary, was recently presented at the Canadian Docs-in-Progress Showcase at Cannes Docs.