Natalia Bobyleva
The door has been closed for many weeks. A teenager has locked himself in - shutting out a helpless father, mother and sister. In Japan, youths like him have already been given a name: Hikikomori (the secluded). The phenomenon is also beginning to spread throughout the Western world. This is all the family has been able to find out. All they can do is stand in front of the locked door and ask, beg, implore, throw tantrums, despair, accuse, ignore and hope. All the while, the door increasingly becomes a mirror of their own lives.
A former German Army officer, accompanied by his granddaughter, journeys to the Ukraine to find the woman he once loved.
Carlos Benede is in his thirties, single and helps minors cope with the after-effects of crime. Alexander is a strong-willed and precocious eleven-year-old, who witnesses the horrific death of his mother by his own father. Benede mentors Alexander and the two develop a bond. But when the trial of Alexander’s father is over, it’s time for the two to part. Alexander has been placed in the care of his aunt, but when she is no longer able, a new caregiver must be found. An unconventional counselor from the youth welfare office learns of Alexander’s trust in Benede, who himself grew up in a home, and reunites the two. Although not always easy, the relationship grows and deepens into one of father and son.
