0"Why don't you ever cry?" - "I'm not allowing myself to, that's why."
After the sudden death of her mother, ten-year-old Moja and her family is left with a gaping hole. While her father is trying to ensure the care of his daughters and her older, pregnant sister Vesna expresses her feelings with writing, Moja tries to deal with the grief on her own way.
Moja quietly tries to keep the family together with taking almost a mother's role: she arranges clothes for the baby that is coming soon, buys medicine for Vesna and a present for her birthday. It sometimes seems as if the two girls had switched positions - the younger sister taking responsibility, caring for her sister and handling tasks that shouldn't be done at her age.
Although there isn't much talking in the 80 minutes, director Sara Kern manages to give deep insight into a broken family and the feelings of everyone in her first feature film. Long, silent scenes with almost no music allow the audience to get close to Moja's thoughts and actions and to enter into the scenes. Leading actress Loti Kovačič portrays Moja's feelings in authentic way.
The title of the film "Moja Vesna", is not only the combination of the two characters' names, but also means "my spring" translated from Slovenian. This seems unfitting because of the family's situation at first. But sometimes there are little sparks of hope - when Moja is at the skate park with her new friend, when the sisters can laugh together for a short moment, or when she begins to open up to her father. Like a little flower that tries to grow after a long and cold winter.
"Moja Vesna" is a very touching movie that makes you feel once again how important is to have close people you can talk to and stick together. I can recommend watching it.
Further screenings at the Berlinale:
Mo. 14.02. 15:30h Filmtheater am Friedrichshain
Tue. 15.02. 10:30h. House of World's Cultures
Sat. 19.02. 14:00h House of World's Cultures
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