For Sam, a  week of vacation at the beach with the whole family is a week full of ruminating on life, death, and …Tess! He’s haunted by the notion that his family will all die someday, most likely before he does, seeing as he’s the youngest. So Sam resolves to prepare with “aloneness training”. On the first day of training he meets the elusive Tess who is carrying a big secret. Sam is drawn into her adventure which makes him realize that one should cherish the time they have with family rather than plan for a time when they are gone. Acting on this new knowledge he makes a drastic decision that puts his friendship with Tess at risk and might change Tess’ life forever.  

Netherlands  / 2019 / In Dutch with English subtitles / 82 min / Ages 10+ (profanity, sexual references by a teen) 

Misfit German teenager Mika is sent to live in the country with her stern grandmother, who happens to have been an Olympic equestrian. One of her grandmother’s horses, Windstorm, is just as unhappy with the world around him as Mika is with hers. Together, they find a sense of happiness that gets them through several über-dramatic ordeals. It will be difficult not to get drawn into this tale that is part “Horse Whisperer” and part “Karate Kid,” with a pinch of “National Velvet.”