A Life Like Any Other

Faustine Cros delves into filmed memories and scrutinizes videos of her own childhood, layer by layer, until the complex family dynamics gradually become visible. Although the director works retrospectively, she integrates her hyperactive father and chain-smoking mother into this documentary investigation, never forgetting that she is by no means an "objective" observer but rather an indispensable piece of the puzzle. Her film is a sensitive and profoundly melancholic search for clues within the familial thicket. It portrays a daughter trying to discover when and why her strong, self-determined, and joyful mother became a woman in whose mind only sadness and anger seem to battle each other. A powerful and personal film that dares to confront unpleasant truths, telling a story as personal as it is universal.

Luc-Carolin Ziemann
Film programmer, author and trainer