“(…) an insightful and tender consideration of family mores.”  – CineEurope 

(…) engaging and touching  (…) The use of archival materials (old film and video recordings and black-and-white photography) adds depth to their story. – Business Doc Europe 

Elderly brothers René and Rob can’t do with or without each other. René lives the life of a recluse, in a house that is overflowing with stuff. When things threaten to get out of hand, his younger brother Rob intervenes.Filmmaker Tom Fassaert, Rob’s son, documents these weekly visits and recognizes a familiar dynamic. Rob, a retired psychologist, slips into the role of counsellor; René, a longtime psychiatric patient, becomes his client. Their underlying irritation is genuine, but so is their affection.

As Rob and René repeat the same ritual every week, Tom begins to sense that something must be behind it. Something old and unspoken. In the family archives, he discovers a mystery: when the brothers were children, their father disappeared without a trace. No goodbye, no explanation, just an absence that has influenced three generations.

Director: Tom Fassaert

Archival research: Wieke Kapteijns