Am I not alone?

Small Yana wishes for a closer, more heartfelt connection with her mother. But in Yana’s family, love is not communicated through cuddles, kisses and soft touches. It is communicated through pain, going by the saying “What you hold most dear, shake like a pear”. Yana learns to come to terms with that.

Robin’s mother is a single parent and mentally ill. As her eldest son, he sees himself responsible for raising his little brother in her stead and shielding his mother from unnecessary stress. However, in an unexpected chain of confrontation, Robin finds himself at his breaking point.

Bela struggles with the ongoing lockdown and tries to keep busy with trivial tasks. The fact that he is spiraling is obvious from more than just the disarranged state of his apartment. That is, until he realises he doesn’t need to let himself be limited by isolation.

In fragments, three women talk about their limiting living conditions and their experiences of violence. Not showing their faces ensures a protection they have lacked in their previous experiences. Images of masculinity make what is told indirect.

Young drug dealer Aimé just wants a customer to settle his outstanding bill. But then he is unceremoniously left alone with her daughter. Unexpectedly, a heartwarming, if only temporary, bond between the two unfolds in the dreary apartment.

Fernando’s home is filled to the brim with knick-knacks that he has been collecting for 30 years. His estranged family doesn’t seem to understand that he collects in order to replace something which has long been lost. While Fernando reflects on his life, tenderness reveals itself alongside suffering and remorse.