“Baldilocks”, interview with the director Marthe Peters

At the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, we had the chance to speak with Marthe Peters, one of the promising directors selected for the FUTURE FRAMES program. Peters’ short film “Baldilocks,” a poignant self-portrait drawn from her battle with cancer, uses her father’s archival footage to explore memory, survival, and the lingering impacts of her childhood illness.

Introducing “Baldilocks”

When asked to introduce “Baldilocks,” Marthe Peters describes it as an autobiographic documentary. “I think is the best way to describe it, and well, it’s based on my experience with cancer when I was a child, but it’s also about my reflections on the consequences that illness or trauma has had on me. And it is also a big love letter to my parents.”

A Journey through time and memories

Marthe Peters reflects on the emotional journey of revisiting these memories. “It was actually mostly lovely to really get a visual image of myself as a child,” she explains. “It’s also a strange experience because I don’t necessarily identify with this child because it’s a period in my life where I have no memory. But it was really helpful for my mental health and for leading a personal life.”

Insights from childhood footage

Looking back at her childhood through her father’s lens, Marthe Peters gained new insights into her family dynamics. “I got to get a little insight into my parents’ personal life,” she shares. “I usually thought about my parents in relation to me, and it’s really beautiful to get to see your parents when they’re a bit younger as well and get a bit more of an insight of how the experience was for them was also just what they like to do for fun, the conversations they had between the two of them, of which, of course, I’ve never present.”

Challenges in making “Baldilocks”

Discussing the challenges she faced, Marthe Peters admits, “The way I make films is quite lonely, but it’s also nice. I do the writing, the filming, the editing—I do it all by myself. So I definitely have to make sure that I get feedback from people regularly enough; otherwise, it can get into this solipsistic.”

“Baldilocks” takes audiences on a poignant journey through director Marthe Peters‘ childhood memories and the lasting impact of her illness. This powerful film also showcases the unwavering love of two parents, beautifully captured through video and gestures, as they express their deep affection for their daughter.

Plot