AURORA BOREALIS

Olga, a successful Vienna-based attorney with Hungarian roots, is always on the go. She rarely sees Antonio, her partner and the father of her son, both are too wrapped up in their careers, he in Barcelona and she in Vienna. When her mother Maria sinks into a coma without warning in Hungary, Olga interrupts her everyday routine to take care of her. The two women never spoke much with one another, but now it becomes evident that Maria has a lot of secrets. Olga begins to investigate. To whom do the unfamiliar faces and names that suddenly show up actually belong? A journey begins, back to the time of the Soviet occupation of Austria and Hungary after the Second World War. The discoveries that Olga makes in the course of her research exceed the limits of her imagination.
Márta Mészáros, the subject of last year’s goEast Homage, places several generations of strong female characters at the centre of her new film. Like the director herself, these protagonists defy the obstacles of a totalitarian system and ultimately come to terms with their own histories in a wonderful manner.