Synopsis:
On the table in psychotherapist Eva Pattis’ office sits a container of sand. Her fingers glide over a shelf filled with miniature objects: food, houses, trees, animals, humans. Armed men dressed in black, large spiders, and a little prince: Eva packs the miniatures into a suitcase before embarking on a journey.
“Where we live, there is nothing left. They shoot at night, but I don’t hear them because I’m asleep.”
“The terrorists locked our daughters and wives in a car and killed all the men.”
These are some of the stories of Eva Pattis’ patients. Victims of war, violence, and natural disasters. In the method Eva has developed, Expressive Sandwork, there is no room for words. Psychological trauma is a fracture that prevents feelings from emerging and narratives from flowing.
A Barbie surrounded by snakes, a seashell inhabited by spiders. A boat, the sea of fabric and people floating all around. A unicorn and a fairy on a path made of marbles. The images that arise from the miniatures placed in the sand heal the trauma.
Eva suffers from nightmares and migraines. The images of the patients’ sands blend with those of history and her personal life. She too is in search of an image: one that, within a box, among old letters and photographs, hides and reveals the choices of her life. Because trauma is never just an individual matter; it is transmitted between generations and reflected in history.
DOCUMENTARY
Lenght: 64′
Year: 2024 Country: Italy Languages: German, Italian, English.
written by STEFANO ZOJA – ANDREA DEAGLIO
directed by ANDREA DEAGLIO
with the support of
Film Commission Torino Piemonte
MIC – DIREZIONE GENERALE CINEMA E AUDIOVISIVO
International Association for Analythical Psychology
FESTIVAL