Lucy Popescu

Eva is mourning the loss of her grandfather, Joseph Silk, a famous painter. After his death she discovers the past he had concealed from her. Silk was once József Zyyad, a Hungarian Jew, who survived the Holocaust together with his younger brother László. He dislikes talking about this period but a testament comes to light just before his death. It documents his personal journey during those tortuous years and crucially bears witness to the atrocities committed against József, László and thousands of others in that part of central-Europe.
In overlapping narratives, József and László’s stories are related alongside Eva’s quest to understand her grandfather’s reticence. The brothers endure different horrors. As a child, László witnesses unspeakable brutality and displays incredible resilience. His adult life is forged from and driven by his memories. József’s suffering is just as horrific but, whereas László elects to talk about his experiences, eventually moving to Israel, József change…