Camera obscura

Teenager Ane has lost her sight. Her mother’s efforts to try and find a surgeon in America who might bring back her vision are badly affecting the family finances which, in turn, gradually leads to tension between individual family members. Separated from her contemporaries and having to deal with a dismal home situation, Ane is distracted by the appearance of her father’s cousin, who has returned home to organise an exhibition of his photographs after years spent travelling the world. He is one of the few to sense what Ane is going through and, in order to take her out of herself, he gives her a small camera and shows her how to take photographs. Ane clings to him more and more and, even though she can’t see, she immerses herself in her new-found passion, capturing her surroundings without needing to look, but also uncovering things that should have remained a secret. An intimate portrait of a girl who uses a camera as her eyes and experiences the confusion of first love, the film gradually becomes a psychological drama which also touches upon the theme of sexual awakening. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)