Bluebird

Thirteen-year-old Merel is something of a perfect child: she does well at school, likes to take part in all kinds of extra-curricular activities and has a close and loving relationship to her younger disabled brother, Kasper. If there’s anything at all that sets Merel apart from her classmates then it’s perhaps the fact that she’s not quite as grown-up as the others and does not belong to any one clique. It comes as all the more of a shock when she suddenly finds herself the target of some nasty bullying.
The situation soon becomes unbearable and Merel tries to find a solution on her own. Moreover, just like many children, she hides her problem from her parents and teachers. Although everybody realises what she is going through and would like to help, they are powerless, because Merel invents ever more plausible reasons for her bruises or her demolished bicycle. Before long, Merel comes to the end of her tether; nothing in her life seems to fit together anymore and she is at a complete loss as to what to do. Life at home deteriorates, as does her schoolwork. It is time for Merel to make a decision that will help her break out of the vicious circle of humiliation.
Mijke de Jong on her film: “I’m interested in the choices people make, in their principles, in what influences them, in the reasons that stop them from saying what they think. In other words, in the human soul and in the world which surrounds it.”