Tangles

Sarah is enjoying the freedom of 1990s San Francisco. She works as an illustrator for an iconic queer magazine, her career is starting to take off, and the beautiful Donimo enters her life. But when her mother Midge starts acting strangely and increasingly suffers from memory lapses, Sarah returns to her conservative hometown in Maine. While the rest of the family turns a blind eye to the mother’s illness, Sarah refuses to accept what is coming. Amidst arguments, dark humour and desperate attempts to keep the family together, she must accept that some things are simply beyond saving. Leah Nelson’s tender animated debut combines striking black-and-white artwork with chaotic and touching moments of family life, as well as a surprising amount of humour. Based on Sarah Leavitt’s autobiographical graphic novel, the film premiered at Cannes and was also screened at festivals in Toronto, Sydney, and San Sebastián, where it won the Sebastaine Award for best queer film.