So Long Since I've Known a Spring

Overview

Director Alexandra Bidian goes to Romania, the home country of her late father. She invites her mother and sister along to the land where they used to spend their summer holidays, but this time in search of memories. It is her attempt to address and voice things, and her means to understand the man who wrote a lot and spoke very little, and about whom much remains in the dark. When her father came to Germany, he already had a life behind him – including decades of political involvement, which was documented not only by him, but also by the Securitate, socialist Romania’s secret police. Bidian combs through old boxes, reads letters, and peruses files. But instead of answers, she is left with more questions. A road trip to the past, and a letter to her father. Using archival material, family pictures, and interviews with friends and associates, Bidian tries to track down who her father was – and how her own story is intertwined with his life and his actions, as well as with his losses.