Albert's Winter

Albert's mother has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, but this is something he would rather not talk about. Albert is eight years old and the world is still a mystery to him. He does the same things all boys do: in the winter, he throws snowballs, goes to school, comes home, plays outside. He tries to catch snowflakes on his tongue and goes to soccer practice. Albert's parents want to send him to choir school, but he resists. Apart from that, it's difficult to tell what's going on inside him. The camera captures moments, but no more than that. Moments such as when his mother removes her wig -- before we know that she is ill, and bald from chemotherapy. It is as strange for the viewer to see as it is for Albert. Albert's Winter is the third film to be shown at IDFA by young filmmaker Andreas Koefoed, whose work explores the recurring themes of music and childhood. His 12 Notes Down, which was well-received at last year's festival, is the portrait of a boy to whom singing means everything, and whose voice is changing. Koefoed's documentaries often have a fictional feel to them, with muted but highly charged scenes carried by expressive cinematography and self-composed music. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)