An elderly man pines away in a nursing home. His family calls on him out of a guilty conscience, but they try to get away from the stuffy atmosphere as soon as possible. The old man obliges them and behaves unresponsive. But as soon as everybody is gone, he smiles contented while softly speaking to his canary Arie. The human form the bird suddenly assumes is the kick-off for an adventure.
Aart Staartjes
Tine Joustra
Tessa du Mee
Remco Melles
Senn Uijtdehage
Eric van der Donk
An elderly man pines away in a nursing home. His family calls on him out of a guilty conscience, but they try to get away from the stuffy atmosphere as soon as possible. The old man obliges them and behaves unresponsive. But as soon as everybody is gone, he smiles contented while softly speaking to his canary Arie. The human form the bird suddenly assumes is the kick-off for an adventure.
Michael is a 24-year-old who has cerebral palsy and long-term resident of the Carrigmore Residential Home for the Disabled, run by the formidable Eileen. His life is transformed when the maverick Rory O'Shea moves in.
A young boy who lives in an old folks' home strikes up a friendship with a retired magician.
A terminally ill mother invites her family to their country house for one final gathering, but tensions quickly boil over between her two daughters.
Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.
Frank, a retired Irish seaman, and Walter, a retired Cuban barber, are two lonely old men trapped in the emptiness of their own lives. When they meet in a park Frank is able to start a conversation after several attempts. They begin to spend time together and become friends. But because of their different characters they often quarrel with each other and finally seperate after Frank misbehaves to Walter's friend Elaine.
Middle-aged widow Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her daughters Ruth and Matilda are struggling to survive in a society they barely understand. Beatrice dreams of opening an elegant tea room but does not have the wherewithal to achieve her lofty goal. Epileptic Ruth is a rebellious adolescent, while shy but highly intelligent and idealistic Matilda seeks solace in her pets and school projects, including one designed to show how small amounts of radium affect marigolds.
Penny works at a supermarket and Phil is a gentle taxi-driver. Penny’s love for Phil has run dry and they lead joyless lives with their two children, Rachel, a cleaner, and Rory, who is unemployed and aggressive.
Alone in her empty flat, from her window Anne observes the people passing by who nervously snatch up the personal belongings and pieces of furniture she has put out on the pavement. Her final gesture of taking a ring off her finger signals she is leaving her previous life in Holland behind. She goes to Ireland, where she chooses to lead a solitary, wandering existence, striding through the austere landscapes of Connemara. During her travels, she discovers a house that is home to a hermit, Martin.
A 10-year-old boy spends a summer in the country with a childless couple and a precocious girl.
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.