From an early age, 13-year-old Jill has been the primary caretaker for her younger brother and her troubled mother, a once-celebrated, mentally unstable artist. When her estranged father announces a surprise visit for her 14th birthday, the children receive a spark of much needed hope, with the promise of escaping their suffocating household for a day in the brighter world outside. But as her mother’s mental condition takes a turn for the worse, and with the discovery that her father may be more interested in self-preservation than the welfare of his children, Jill’s dreams of stability become even more tenuous.
Based on an original story written by director Camilla Strøm Henriksen, her feature film debut Phoenix blends elements of fantasy and fairy tale with family melodrama, in this haunting tale of a teen coming of age in the midst of tragedy. (Norway, 2018)