Patrick

At just 20 years old, Patrick (Hugo Fernandes) leads a rather dissolute life in Paris – filled with drugs, fights and sex with drunk women, which he records on video and later posts online. When he ends up being questioned by the police after an illegal party, it turns out that Patrick's real name is Mário and that he was kidnapped in Portugal when he was eight years old. The young man has been missing for 12 years. Illegal videos on his laptop give only a glimpse of what happened during this time. The fact that Patrick himself was once sexually abused mitigates his punishment. The young man is sent to his original family in Portugal for rehabilitation. But he remains a stranger in his own family. When his various life plans threaten to fall apart completely, Patrick decides to confront the dark years of his youth. Without wasting many words, director Gonçalo Waddington's feature film debut tackles a highly controversial topic—depicted from the perspective of a victim who becomes a perpetrator himself. In quiet shots and sparse dialogue, unspeakable deeds become the subject and the wounds inflicted over the years gradually become visible. Patrick has won several awards at various festivals for this detached but impressive approach.