Nederlands Film Festival

After an accident, Jos and Tessa wake up from a coma, but show no signs of consciousness. Over the course of fourteen weeks, a specialist team at a unique rehabilitation centre tries with everything they have to bring both patients back to life.

This documentary follows the struggle of Jos (39) and Tessa (20), two coma patients with traumatic brain injuries. During intense therapy sessions, family members try to trigger a response using familiar voices, while carers use stimuli — a blinking eyelid, a moving finger, a first sign of contact. Every small step forward fuels hope, but at the same time, fear grows for what has been lost and may never return. As it slowly becomes clear what's at stake, a gripping story unfolds about the will to survive, love, and the price of holding on.