The Lights, They Fall

Sixteen-year-old Ilay aimlessly drifts through the outskirts of Berlin. His mother, Maria, lies on her deathbed, cared for by Ana, a palliative nurse. Ilay retreats further into himself, increasingly shutting himself off from reality. The film follows Ilay and Ana in their daily routines, from Ana’s quiet dedication to Maria’s care to her struggles with her own addiction. Ilay works in a logistics centre, does community service and spends his afternoons hanging out with his friends. At night, he is restless, wandering the city in a sleepless daze like a ghost. As his mother’s passing approaches, it becomes less an inevitability and more a matter of mystery and speculation. (Berlinale)