Trying to Forget to Remember

Bettina and Marcus, a passionate couple, live in a canteen in the middle of a vast field with endless lines of pylons. Marcus, trying to set up his own business, works as a foreman in the maintenance of these power-lines. Bettina, bored and longing for a better life, runs the canteen for the workingmen. Their 9-years-old daughter Tessa, wanders the industrial area, looking for bits and pieces to occupy her mind, skipping school whenever she can. When Marcus hires a Hungarian engineer, Szabolcs, to become part of his company, their unconventional way of living takes a new turn. A tragic accident although will shatter everyones pursuit of happiness.

A man in his 30s is on the run with a nine-year-old girl. As they take a ferry to the United Kingdom, traces of a common past come to light — a past filled with loss and sorrow. Fleeing in secret, they end up hiding in a small apartment on the seafront, where they live day-to-day, exploring each other’s emotional territories. Mourning will bind them, but is this alliance of dependence appropriate for them and for the outside world?

The Silent Treatment is a story about three characters whose lives are imprisoned in each other’s past. As a victim from Stockholm syndrome, the 18-year-old Belgian girl Tess has developed an obsession with her allegedly kidnapper, the 43-year-old Hungarian Szabolcs. Through the actions of his partner, the 34-year-old Hungarian Andrea, Tess will finally find her peace. Andrea will help the young woman in changing her distorted relationship from obsessional love to a peaceful mind.