And The Heart of Her Son

Directed by Alexander Belov

A century ago, a loving son asked for his heart to be cut from his chest after his death and buried beside his mother. Today, when his mother collapses in front of him, another son wishes her dead so that he can return to his video games. But the game puts his own heart on trial, forcing him to answer one impossible question: is he a loving son? This hybrid essay about my mother, shot on 16mm, combines archival footage, expressionist staging, autofiction and video-game animation.