April in Autumn

After several years of working abroad, April returns to Canada to support her sister Sara in taking care of their ailing mother. While gardening, April discovers a blue tin box buried in the ground. The can holds photos and documents that hint at an old family secret that could jeopardize the rather soft-spoken and respectful tone within the family. Sara studies piano at the local conservatory and at home, enthusiastically practices Erik Satie’s compositions for piano, the three Gymnopédies. One day she befriends Erik, a homeless person, who may have a connection to the romantic past of her mother. Around the same time, April reacts rather hesitantly to the marriage proposal of Oscar, her boyfriend of many years, whom she met on her travels. All the characters in this film meet up at their mother’s birthday dinner ‒ Oscar arriving unannounced from Argentina and Sara’s homeless friend Erik who Sara invited and introduced to her mother simply as “Erik Satie”. (Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg)