Synopsis
Large eyes, pale skin, worn fingertips, and an absent gaze. Alba is eleven and doesn't feel great. Perhaps it is due to her extreme shyness, the plastic scoliosis brace she wears, or because her nose tends to bleed during recess. She spends her afternoons reconstructing puzzles to relieve her anxiety. One day, she has to move to her father's place, whom she barely knows. Igor is a photographer at the Civilian Registry office where he applies make-up onto his subjects, collects their pictures, and compulsively keeps records of their names in a diary. Igor is a strange man. Living with Igor is unbearable for Alba, so she takes refuge in the house attic where she builds a huge puzzle. The intrigue she feels towards Igor is obfuscated by her fear of being similar to him. Igor is capable of showing the world that which is so secret to her: oddness. Alba's arrival has filled Igor's routine with meaning: he cooks for her, takes her swimming, and provides emotional support during her first period. He tries by every mean to create a real relationship with his daughter, until he accidentally destroys the child's finished puzzle and then he obsessively tries to reconstruct it. Meanwhile, at school, a new routine involving new friends, kissing boys, and a dance competition make Alba's desire to feel normal almost asphyxiating. Involved in this tense and silent environment, both characters slowly destroy themselves. It is only there, in the abyss, when they can finally find each other.