Masks

The story starts with the birth of a baby, who starts crying as soon as he sees his father "in disguise." The infant is already expressing his desire for authenticity. By the age of three, he instinctively rejects conventions. He is taken to a psychiatrist, who finds him perfectly normal. When he starts school, he is offered another mask. Once again, he rejects it, and once again, he is led off to the psychiatrist. As a teenager he discovers his father's disguises and fills them with helium. As an adult, his creative attitude towards his work arouses the envy of his colleagues. At one of his last visits to the psychiatrist, he sees a young woman who seems to be experiencing the same problems he is. It's love at first sight. From their union is born a child who starts to cry as soon as he sees his father wearing a motorcycle helmet. The father quickly removes his "mask"...

Boy, Father, Psychiatrist, Young Woman, Child

A film without words for 12- to 17-year-olds.

Based on Article 14 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which particularly upholds the child's right to refuse the hypocrisy of a society that tries to make us hide our real selves behind masks.

Giffoni Film Festival Award, for the Rights from the Heart Series (3 parts) for all-round constant creative achievement and artistic integrity in the cinema, Film Festival, Giffoni, Italy, 1997