Cinédokké Sagl

In a Swiss mountain village, hikers head out, a fountain splashes reassuringly and a churchwarden prepares a mass. Debut director Valentina Shasivari evokes the calm of this serene landscape with tightly framed shots in contrast-rich black-and-white.

1977. Mario, sixteen years old, lives in a small village in Ticino. While he experiences his first awkward romantic feelings, struggles at school and regularly clashes with a father who does not understand him, the society around him is changing. Sent to work on a farm in the mountains for the summer, he has unexpected encounters that introduce him to life, love – and above all, himself.