If Pigeons Turned to Gold

Description

Where does love end and control begin? For five years, director Pepa Lubojacki documented the lives of her brother and two cousins, whose addiction gradually took away their relationships, home, and sense of security, and she tries to understand what led to their downfall. This intimate, formally original, and brutally honest documentary won two awards at the Berlinale festival. At the center of the film is the director's own family – her beloved brother and two cousins, whose lives were gradually devastated by addiction. What stripped them of their relationships, sense of security, health, and roof over their heads? And what if it’s not just addiction itself, but something that started much earlier? A fresh mix of intimate diary footage, revived photographs, stylized memories, and graphic collages makes the film an original experience that is both raw and playful. As a director and sister, Pepa faces questions that have no easy answers: to save or to let go? And when does caring for a loved one turn into a need to control their life? This radically honest film won the main award for best documentary at this year's Berlinale and is the Czech representative in the race for the Oscar.