Nervous Translation

The film is set in the Philippines in the late 1980s, at the end of the communist dictatorship and during the sudden plunge into the world of Capitalism. It tells the story of 8-year-old girl, Yael, who is extremely shy and withdrawn, preferring to live in her own private world and write alone, instead of playing with her cousins or with friends. She lives alone with her mother while her father works in Saudi Arabia, sending money back home. Her mother is distant and withdrawn, making Yael's attempt to connect the world even more of a challenge. Her father records tapes and sends them to her mother, which is the only connection she has with him.

The audience watches the film play out through the eyes of a child, with the serious political issues providing a confusing backdrop to her life in her mind. One day she sees an advert on television about a magic pen which can translate the thoughts of nervous people so she goes out in search for it.