Foudre / Thunder

Summer in a Swiss village around 1900. When 17-year-old novice Elisabeth learns of the sudden death of her eldest sister, Innocente, she is forced to return to her family's farm. As soon as she arrives, the circumstances of her sister's death are shrouded in a strange silence, and Elisabeth begins to suspect that there must be more to it. Between hard graft on the field, a conservative Christian home, and the furtive glances of the village's male youth, she delves deeper and deeper into Innocente's secrets. The highly talented Western Swiss director Carmen Jaquier explores female emancipation in the midst of oppressive social norms in impressively composed images.