Family Album

Separated by birth, a brother and sister reunite on a TV show. After a happy ending on the screen, they try to continue it after the cameras are shut down. When building a relationship without a bonding past, they’re met with unexpected challenges. Who are they to each other—strangers, siblings, paternal figures, attractive opposite-sex members? While navigating through their identities, they long for a deeper connection and try to make up for the missed years.

Director’s statement
The idea started with a real TV show from Lithuania, in which people search for their lost relatives. I was interested in what could have happened after the cameras were shut down. The contrast between the simplicity of a happy television ending and the complexity of life after was a starting point for the story.

We touch on familiar topics of family relations, but in an unusual context where the siblings get to know each other as formed adults. Are blood relations are enough to create a connection or is impossible without a shared past. While looking for ways to connect, the characters project their desires onto each other. For one, it’s the longing for paternal care projected as maternity; for the other, it’s the desire for closeness manifested in sexual attraction. The roles shift throughout the movie, illustrating their confused state.