top of page

Chagrin valley

Directed by Nathalie Berger

Lauriers 202318.png

The sun shines every day in Chagrin Valley, USA. Frozen in a 1950s-inspired artificial decor, this assisted living facility for people who suffer from dementia is home to fragile and ageing residents. Here, everyday life drags on slowly. Florence and her companions dream of an elusive elsewhere during their days punctuated by confusion, fleeting conflicts and overdue family visits. The caregivers – as kind as they are exhausted – run the show in this pastel-coloured, sanitised social theatre. Between two shifts, they confess their desire for a better future; one that is not so different from that of the residents, after all. Examining our relationship with old age, illness and the universal fear of dying, and gently probing into the matter of our individual and collective dreams, the film interrogates the false promises of our contemporary society.

Year

Type

Length

Language

Production

Cinematography

Editing

Sound design

Music composition

Producer

Color Grading

Assistant Editor

2023

Feature Documentary

62 minutes

English

Zürcher Hochschule der Künste

Diara Sow

Lizi Gelber

Tihomir Vrbanec & Nina Uzelac

Valentin Liechti

Philippe Grob

Ralph Welti

Lars Wicki

awards

Prix du Cinéma Suisse / Schweizer Filmpreis / Swiss Film Award 2024 (Best Graduation Film)
Visions du Réel - Jury Prize in the National Competition 2023
Alexis Victor Thalberg Award 2023 (Main Prize)
Doc Boston Film Fesitval 2023 - Best Feature Documentary
Oslo International Film Festival 2023 - Best Feature Documentary

festivals

Visions du Réel 2023
Dok.Fest Munchen 2023
Doc Boston Film Fesitval 2023
FLiMM Film Festival, Paris 2023
Verzio Human Rights Film Festival 2023
Oslo International Film Festival 2023
Solothurner Film Tage 2024
One World Festival Prague 2024

press

bottom of page