Turn! (2019)

What if your child turns out to be a sports talent and at an early age ends up in a world full of expectations, stress, disappointments and sacrifices – just like yourself? In this intimate documentary the director observes her gifted nine-year-old son and the way she guides him in the world of gymnastics. She also follows other parents who are in the same top-sport boat, and points the camera at the coach. How do you best support a child, while being a parent and instinctively struggling with the same expectations, stress and disappointments? On the one hand, parents hope their child will excel, but on the other they primarily want a happy child and successes are ‘really’ less important.

Esther PardijsDirector