The documentary "Solus" about the drama of Moldovan children, whose parents are abroad, was presented in Chisinau
The dramas and sufferings of Moldovan children, whose parents are living abroad, are addressed in the documentary "Solus" (Alone), made by a team of filmmakers from Belgium: producer Frederic Siroul, co-director Olga Lucovnicova from Moldova. The film was made in the framework of the socio-cultural project "Alone at home", implemented by the Theatre Centre of the Republic of Moldova.
Two teenagers share in the documentary the bitter experience of life with mothers gone, with heartbreaking longing, anxiety, depression. To forget her heartache, Susana started cutting her own skin.
"I started cutting my legs harder. That really helps because my leg starts to hurt and I focus on the pain in my leg and for a while I forget I have problems."
"Solus" was made as part of the socio-cultural project "Alone at home".
"We'd love more people to see it. The longing that migrant children carry within themselves is heartbreaking. They are not rebellious, on the contrary, they are suffering children who carry this longing and pain. Our aim is to help children to express their emotions through the arts," says project coordinator Alina Lungu-Turcanu.
For one of the protagonists, filming was a kind of salvation.
"It was a new experience and it helped me to discover myself, it showed me that I am more independent, stronger. However, it remained a trauma", says Susana Stici, a student from Riscani.
Susana's mother spent six years in Israel.
"I came back home. We enjoy each other, but we'll never make up for the time we lost. Mothers don't leave willingly. I would advise them to love their children from a distance, because when you come back home it's like we feel a bit more distant, like strangers," says Didona Stici, Susana's mother.
The young but already internationally acclaimed director Olga Lucovnicova, originally from Moldova, was the link between the team in Belgium and the project promoters in our country.
"Migration is usually told from an adult perspective and I wanted to try to give children a voice through this film. When I was a child, my father was also working abroad. Thanks to the film, I saw my own experience with new eyes," says director Olga Lucovnicova.
"Solus was filmed for a week by a crew from Belgium. Post-production was also carried out there. The documentary, which has already won several awards, is due to be shown at major international festivals this year.
