Who We Were

Sine Skibsholt's documentary debut opens with an emergency call for an ambulance. A sudden stroke is about to put Mette Line and Kristian's relationship to the test. Photographs show what this Danish couple's life was like before the stroke: vacations, parties, a new home, two children. All this happiness now makes way for visits to hospitals, rehabilitation centers and therapists. Skibsholt follows the family for a year from spring to spring. Kristian's body begins to recover but his brain refuses to cooperate. A third of it has been destroyed, and he no longer recalls the life he once lived with Mette. His minor mental and physical triumphs are shadowed by doubts, disagreements and arguments. Who We Were reveals just how much patience the couple needs to make it through the rehabilitation process. The damage is irreversible, and life as they knew it forever gone. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)