Sunday, March 10, 1:00 p.m. | Young pianist virtuoso Jennifer is bound and determined to win the world famous Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, arriving at "the Chapel" - an intensive, isolated retreat - with no interest in making friends with her fellow residents. With a childhood marked by trauma, Jennifer is solitary and serious, and the strict rules of the Chapel (no phones, computers, or television), along with the pressure of the looming competition and the friendly - if prying - questions from the other musicians begin to take their toll. As Jennifer practices her craft, memories of her demanding mother and loving but troubled father begin to surface. In Dominique Deruddere's effective and controlled drama, it is the things that we value—family, passion, and grit—that haunt us the most.

Awards & Nominations

Nominee - Best Film, Shanghai International Film Festival

Chicago European Union Film Festival - Spotlight on Belgium: Join us this year as we dive into the best of Belgian cinema new and old. Presenting Chicago audiences with a potent cultural immersion and showcasing bright new native talents alongside a slice of repertory favorites. View full festival.

The Film Center thanks the consulates, consuls general, and cultural institutes of the European Union in Chicago and their embassies in Washington, D.C., for their support, partnership, and collaboration. Special thanks to Paul M. Van Halteren, president of EuroChicago and Honorary Consul of Belgium in Illinois, and our 2024 Belgium Spotlight partners:

European Union Center w/European Union Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign through support from the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI NRC Program.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu