Documentary
ZAAD tells the autobiographical story of Dries Meddens. After the death of his mother, the care for Dries' bipolar father falls on his plate. He discovers how crudely and ruthlessly society and psychiatry treat patients. His father eventually dies in solitary confinement. While emptying his parent’s home, Dries discovers an old letter from his grandfather. The man appears to have led a busy, productive life. He is the founder of an internationally renowned seed breeding company and still has time to paint, write diaries and conduct intensive correspondence. Dries finds similarities between his grandfather, his father and himself. Slowly the fear grows that his father's psychiatric illness might be hereditary. Strolling through the family’s film and photo archives, with dramatic and sometimes hilarious finds, Dries tries to find answers. He also consults a psychiatrist. Together the consultations and reviewing of his archival material help Dries look at bipolarity with new eyes.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Haus und Hof
Junha's Planet
Capturing the Friedmans
Stranger at the Gate
Arctic Tale
Fragments de route
To Be and to Have
ME: A Journey Within
Coups de Foudre
Small Talk
2 or 3 Things I Know About Him
The Bridge
We Beg to Differ
Our Family
Dolphin Reef
15
Europa - Let Me Know When You Get There
The Story of a Butcher Shop
Grisha
Goodbye Darling, I'm Off to Fight
SIMILAR MOVIES
Haus und Hof
IMDB 0 | Dec , 1980
Agricultural scientist and mother Isolde struggles with the dicrepancies between her personal convictions and the political realities in East Germany.Junha's Planet
IMDB 7 | May , 2019
Junha is one of the most difficult children at the school. His autism causes him to attack his classmates and even teachers without warning. Each outburst further isolates Junha from his community as his teachers and peers struggle to find a way to live "with" Junha. The camera provides an intimate look into this society, leaving the question; what is human entity and how is it connected?Capturing the Friedmans
IMDB 7.1 | May , 2003
An Oscar nominated documentary about a middle-class American family who is torn apart when the father Arnold and son Jesse are accused of sexually abusing numerous children. Director Jarecki interviews people from different sides of this tragic story and raises the question of whether they were rightfully tried when they claim they were innocent and there was never any evidence against them.Stranger at the Gate
IMDB 6.2 | Feb , 2022
A U.S. Marine plots a terrorist attack on a small-town American mosque, but his plan takes an unexpected turn when he comes face to face with the people he sets out to kill.Arctic Tale
IMDB 6.7 | Jun , 2007
Arctic Tale is a 2007 documentary film from the National Geographic Society about the life cycle of a walrus and her calf, and a polar bear and her cubs, in a similar vein to the 2005 hit production March of the Penguins, also from National Geographic.Fragments de route
IMDB 0 | Jul , 2025
To Be and to Have
IMDB 7.3 | Aug , 2002
The documentary's title translates as "to be and to have", the two auxiliary verbs in the French language. It is about a primary school in the commune of Saint-Étienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, France, the population of which is just over 200. The school has one small class of mixed ages (from four to twelve years), with a dedicated teacher, Georges Lopez, who shows patience and respect for the children as we follow their story through a single school year.ME: A Journey Within
IMDB 7 | Jun , 2023
Coups de Foudre
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2015
Five women tell their « love story ». Each of them had the wonderful experience of ‘love at first sight’ with a man that will become their downfall. The influence settles slowly but strongly. Eventually it turns to violence, protecting the children and running away. Through five poignant stories, this film shows us the chronology of a love story that ends in a drama.Small Talk
IMDB 6.5 | Nov , 2016
In the table that symbolizes the value of traditional women, a woman who wants to break free from her family must face her daughter.2 or 3 Things I Know About Him
IMDB 6.6 | Apr , 2005
What would your family reminiscences about dad sound like if he had been an early supporter of Hitler’s, a leader of the notorious SA and the Third Reich’s minister in charge of Slovakia, including its Final Solution? Executed as a war criminal in 1947, Hanns Ludin left behind a grieving widow and six young children, the youngest of whom became a filmmaker. It's a fascinating, maddening, sometimes even humorous look at what the director calls "a typical German story." (Film Forum)The Bridge
IMDB 6.8 | Oct , 2006
The Bridge is a controversial documentary that shows people jumping to their death from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.We Beg to Differ
IMDB 0 | Jul , 2024
In the underground world of diffing, a community finds solace in their passion, as they navigate personal struggles and challenges both on and off the road.Our Family
IMDB 0 | Jul , 2014
From 18-year-olds to pre-teens, ten boys are living together at the 'Family' group home. From 2002 to 2013, the boys, who were around ten years old, escaped North Korea and were separated from their families. They are living with the caretaker, Tae-hoon, who dedicates his life to the boys. The film documents an average and special one year of their lives. It doesn't overstress their situation as the defectors from NK, while cheers their new challenges as teens in South Korea. Also, it shows Tae-hoon being estranged from and reconciled with his own family, who is now supporting him and boys.Dolphin Reef
IMDB 6.9 | Mar , 2018
Echo is a youngster who can't quite decide if it's time to grow up and take on new responsibilities-or give in to her silly side and just have fun. Dolphin society is tricky, and the coral reef that Echo and his family call home depends on all of its inhabitants to keep it healthy. But Echo has a tough time resisting the many adventures the ocean has to offer.15
IMDB 0 | Apr , 2026
Ibuka follows Valentine and Jean-Claude, a new couple, at the very beginning of the civil war and the massacres that swept through Rwanda in 1994. Living in Kigali, the national capital, these young parents make numerous attempts to escape the killings with their newborn. Ibuka is a poetic work filled with tenderness and clarity about a historical tragedy, experienced through the intimacy and formation of a young family forever bonded.Europa - Let Me Know When You Get There
IMDB 0 | Apr , 2026
Victor introduces where he lives: inside a rhinoceros's head.The Story of a Butcher Shop
IMDB 5.2 | Nov , 2013
The Kitades run a butcher shop in Kaizuka City outside Osaka, raising and slaughtering cattle to sell the meat in their store. The seventh generation of their family's business, they are descendants of the buraku people, a social minority held over from the caste system abolished in the 19th century that is still subject to discrimination. As the Kitades are forced to make the difficult decision to shut down their slaughterhouse, the question posed by the film is whether doing this will also result in the deconstruction of the prejudices imposed on them. Though primarily documenting the process of their work with meticulous detail, Aya Hanabusa also touches on the Kitades' participation in the buraku liberation movement. Hanabusa's heartfelt portrait expands from the story of an old-fashioned family business competing with corporate supermarkets, toward a subtle and sophisticated critique of social exclusion and the persistence of ancient prejudices.Grisha
IMDB 7 | Nov , 1996
An up-close look into the life of the often misunderstood movie director Grigori Kromanov through the lens of old friends and colleagues.Goodbye Darling, I'm Off to Fight
IMDB 0 | Apr , 2017