Share
Clip description
Victor (Linal Haft) has lunch with his three daughters as his only son Bo (Russell Dykstra) arrives home from prison. Bo’s father will not allow him into the house so he dumps his gear in the shed. While Victor commiserates with Nadia (Sacha Horler) about the effect of his wife’s illness on their marriage, Bo makes silly faces through the window. When his daughters laugh, Victor explodes with anger, striking Nadia across the face.
Curator’s notes
The film establishes very quickly that the Petrovs are more than just unconventional. No one is surprised by Victor’s violent outburst, which tells us a lot about what life must have been like earlier for this family, before the children scattered. His temper is never really explained, but nor is he portrayed as a monster. Andreef keeps a sense of mystery in each of the characters, a private core that’s a powerful generator of emotions that even they may not fully comprehend. That underlines the sense of individuality of each member of the family. There is no Petrov family unit – only units of the Petrov family, each of whom has his or her secrets.
