Fragile

Running time: 85 mins

Sam and Catherine have been estranged for years, having deliberately lost sight of each other because they simply do not get along. Now, both must return home to deal with the sudden death of their mother.

The night before the burial, Sam confronts Catherine to tell her about their mother's last days: stricken with Alzheimer's, she decided to die quickly rather than endure the agony of a slow deterioration. Sam does not have the strength to be the sole proprietor of this secret. He is convinced that their mother committed suicide in order to spare her children the degrading spectacle of her disintegration. But perhaps together, the siblings can face up to the tragedy?despite the gulf and the friction that still keeps them apart. After all, they are young and still have their lives before them.

Director/writer Laurent Nègre has created a brilliant portrait of familial bonds that is both moving and honest. Sam and Catherine are wonderfully depicted as broken halves whose spirits need each other to walk the path that they have each journeyed down.

Tamee Tanoor



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