Demba

Demba is about to retire after 30 years of service in the city hall of his small hometown in northern Senegal. During this hot summer, as the second anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, Demba realises that he is unable to simply “shake off” her passing. But as his mental health deteriorates, he discovers a new connection with his once estranged son. Can Demba recover from his loss without losing himself? The film takes the life of a middle-aged man to explore the tension between grief and healing, belonging and estrangement, mental health and psychiatric disorder. Its inspiration stems from a genuine question: How can a society that does not have a word for “depression” come to terms with it? (Berlinale)