Using the example of a personal search for traces, the film reveals an episode of world history. On a quest for her own roots, the author finds, in a house in Russia, evidence of her origins, the flight, the story of her family, the way the past was dealt with, the issue of forgetting, the effects of hunger – all measured against the yardstick of death.
Working with pictures of the house and the souvenirs, with letters, sound recordings and especially with Italian animation artist Simone Massi’s excellent visuals, Aljona van der Horst has created a moving and profound work of art, not without risking a pinch of irony and humour, too.