An 11-year-old builds a labyrinth for love. Mommy's not getting out.
Simone harbours a dark secret. Since her parents separated, the 11-year-old has become withdrawn and mysterious. In order to win back the love of her depressed and alcoholic mother, she crosses an eerie boundary. Will her mother find her way out of Simone's labyrinth?
Acting
Laura Sonntag's chilling stillness—no child should be this controlled.
Direction
Sáinz-Pardo squeezes feature-length dread into 16 suffocating minutes.
Production
The labyrinth itself: cheap materials, infinite unease.
Director
Iván Sáinz-Pardo
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a wave of early-2000s German shorts exploring damaged childhoods—this one got buried while 'Das Rad' got Oscar-nominated.
The labyrinth's construction is never fully explained; Sáinz-Pardo wanted audiences to wonder if Simone built it alone or if her mother helped before forgetting.
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