Tictoc

Felix is a strapping 16-year-old who likes weight training and sports. But when he looks at photos from the past, he can hardly believe that he was once that carefree child. Felix has Tourette’s syndrome and that makes life hard. What makes it even harder is the misunderstanding he often encounters, the people who insult him and instantly judge him. It makes him angry and unhappy. His mission, he says, is to raise awareness about the reality of Tourette’s. This restrained and detailed portrait alternates Felix’s frank accounts of his feelings with moments in which he is simply being himself. He chats with a friend about what’s on his mind, or practices boxing—he wants to be able to defend himself, he confides. Sometimes he actually seems relaxed, but at other times he is overwhelmed by the tics and goes into an almost spastic cramp. Then everything feels unreal, he says; he shows his scars. The carefully composed photography underlines the intimate nature of this respectful portrait. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)