CAIRO – 22 September 2017: French actor turned director Eric Caravaca’s ‘Plot 35 (Carre 35)’ explores a fascinating history behind the director’s older sister, who died before he was born and was never talked about by his parents.
Promo via IMDB
Using a documentary approach, Caravaca aims to find answers as to why his sister Christine, who died at the age of 3, was never mentioned by either of his parents. He finds more than he expected when it gradually becomes clear that his parents didn’t just forgot her; they actively erased her from memory, destroying all photographs as if to cover up their shame. Conflicting details from Caravaca’s parents regarding her age only deepen his conviction to find the truth.
The title of the film refers to the plot where Caravaca believes that Christine is buried in a graveyard in Casablanca. Upon visiting, however he discovers it’s nowhere to be found. Like pieces of a puzzle, Caravaca tries to find the truth behind the mystery at the heart of his family, though he finds that some secrets might never come to light.
Even broader, the director draws allusion between his family’s shame and the broader political scope of France’s colonial history and even the horrendous actions of Nazi Germany. It is a film about shame, about hiding the past and refusing to acknowledge it; taking secrets to the grave.
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