In the middle of nowhere there is an old monastery, where a boy lives with his parents. His beloved mother is unstable and commits suicide, his father is aloof. At the same time, the real mother of the boy is approaching, but without success...
This is a magnificent, unique film about the torments of a young teenage boy, combined with elements of myth, roots of fairy tales, dream, and incredibly good music. Images and sequences like Caravaggio-paintings.
When you'd ask me how to compare this film, the answer would be really difficult. Trying a personal, clumsy, incomplete answer: Imagine a mixture of some images resulting from Thomas Mann's greatest novels (Buddenbrooks, The Magic Mountain) + the sinister parts of "Fanny and Alexander" by Ingmar Bergman + minor touches of "The Tree of Life" by Terrence Malick + some sketches of da Vinci ...