Birita
In this Faroese documentary, an actor with Alzheimer’s prepares for her final Shakespeare role alongside her theatrical family.
A retired Faroese veteran actress, Birita Dam, is preparing for one more performance: she and her theatre family intend to perform Shakespeare’s King Lear, directed by the director of this documentary, Búi Dam.
However, Birita’s state of health poses difficulties. She has Alzheimer’s disease, which makes the word “intention” problematic in her situation. For a person to have the intention to do something, they must also have the will to do it. To what extent can a person who is not fully aware that she is in a dressing room preparing for a play actually have the will to perform at all? Are her husband and son acting ethically by organising a play in which the lead role is played by someone who is unable to remember her lines? Búi says that, intuitively, he knows that his mother wants to be on stage. Birita’s husband, on the other hand, remembers her saying before she became ill that she never wanted to perform again.
The ethical questions raised by Birita are not answered in the film; rather, the film serves as an opening for discussion. When the camera pauses to admire the rugged landscapes of the Faroe Islands, viewers are handed an opportunity to reflect quietly on the fragile nature of identity and life itself.
Herman Tikkanen
Screenings
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Kino Engel 2Sat 19.9. at 13.30–14.5989 min, 1/4
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Kino Engel 1Wed 23.9. at 18.30–19.5989 min, 2/4Guests present: Búi Dam
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Kino TöölöThu 24.9. at 17.30–18.5989 min, 3/4Guests present: Búi Dam
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Kino Engel 2Sun 27.9. at 13.30–14.5989 min, 4/4
Trailer
Collaboration
