In this vibrant, pastel-hued short, the Danish animator Susi Haaning crafts a heartfelt portrait of the evolving relationship between a daughter and her father, who lives with bipolar disorder. Through a series of drifting, dreamlike vignettes, the film captures the daughter’s inner world as her perception of her father shifts to accommodate the reality that he’s both her loving protector and someone with his own struggles. By blending everyday moments with evocative metaphors, the piece portrays her transition from childhood awe to adolescent frustration as she learns to understand his illness. With just a few words and some powerful images, Haaning suffuses the film’s small universe with humour, wonder and warmth. In doing so, she deftly captures the complex, often difficult and sometimes beautiful process of coming to see a parent as a whole person.
Past trauma bleeds into the bond between one mother and her daughter
A film by Danski Tang
