Plot
Middle-aged Polish Jew Jakob Beer reflects on his entire life. When he was an adolescent during World War II, Nazis shot his parents dead and hauled away his sister Bella; he witnessed these events from a hideout in their home. He ran away and was found by Athos Roussos, a Greek national working on an archaeological project in Poland; Athos managed to smuggle Jakob out of Poland and into Greece. A few years later, Athos and Jakob moved to Canada where Athos began work as a teacher. Jakob constantly dreamed of Bella, especially her piano-playing, but never knew her ultimate fate. Jakob's reflections, especially the emotions stemming from his thoughts, led to him authoring a successful book. His marriage to his first wife, the upbeat, outgoing Alex, failed because he couldn't shake the somberness of his past. He couldn't commit to a relationship until he came to understand his dreams about Bella. Meanwhile, he had a lifelong friendship with his neighbors in Canada, a Jewish family who were also fighting the demons of their past.
Written by
Anne Michaels, Jeremy Podeswa
Directed by
Jeremy Podeswa
Crew
Production Countries
Canada, Greece
Production Companies
Strada Films, Serendipity Point Films, The Harold Greenberg Fund, Cinegram
Languages
English, , Deutsch
Awards
7 wins & 16 nominations