Resurrecting Hassan

An intimate portrait of the Hartings, a blind Canadian family. Denis, Peggy and their daughter Lauviah make their living singing in the metro stations of Montreal. Their world has been changed forever by the loss of their sighted son, Hassan, who drowned when he was seven. Denis and Peggy are constantly bickering – their relationship has clearly suffered from the tragic accident. The couple are followers of the Russian mystic Grigori Grabovoi, who claims that people can rise from the dead. As Denis devotes himself to bringing their son back to life, he barely notices that Peggy has quite a different preoccupation: her own personal resurrection. Meanwhile, Lauviah is left to find her own way. In this Direct Cinema documentary, the camera captures unfolding events up close, from the intense resurrection sessions with a Grabovoi disciple to vulnerable moments of grief and violent arguments. The beautiful, heartrending singing of Denis and Lauviah is particularly unforgettable. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)