VOICE ON

Many children are confronted with high expectations from their parents, who often spend a lot of resources to make their children learn, but may fail to recognise their child’s true spirit. The story of this animated film is about a girl who, like her mother once did, is supposed to become a good flutist, but is so constricted by the expectations placed on her that she finds no meaning in making music. Like the butterfly that accompanies her through the film, the girl feels trapped in a spider’s web and begins to see not only the moving pendulum of a metronome on every building, church or traffic light on the grey streets, but also to hear the metronome’s incessant ticking; the metronome functions here as a symbol of constraint. After a chance encounter with an older man who plays the harmonica, the girl finds inspiration, rediscovers her zest for life and gradually regains her passion for music. The mother, too, finally realises what she has been burdening her daughter with, who finally flies liberated like butterflies through the air and over now colourful landscapes. The message of facing one’s inner thoughts and having the courage to express oneself – instead of just going with the flow – is thus conveyed in a very sensitive way.