40 Days of Silence

Bibicha, a young woman living in a small Uzbek village, suddenly refuses to speak and conceals herself in the house of her aunt Khanjarmomo. Is she vowing to silence for the return of her beloved one, or is she hiding the fruit of a love consumed illicitly? Khanjarmomo worries about the fate of the women in the family as she is already taking care of her illegitimate granddaughter Sharifa, whose mother disappeared years ago.

When Sharifa’s mother suddenly returns from the city, the next forty days bring back to life the past and future of this family of women whose unfortunate destinies seem to repeat every generation in an emotional curse.

Director’s diary at Sundance Lab (Filmmaker Magazine)