My Beautiful Broken Brain

“If I’m faced with the question of who I am? Someone who has a ton of friends, very hard working, loves to read. What if all of that evidence is removed? What does that make me?” Lotje Sodderland was 34 and in her prime when tragedy struck: lying in bed alone one night, she suffered a stroke. With almost superhuman effort she managed to get out of the house, and she was later found in a public restroom. After a tough time in the hospital, Lotje picked up a camera and pointed it at herself. Speaking with great difficulty, she says, “I’m alive. Very bad at writing. But I’m not dead. That’s a start.” Obsessed by recording and documenting so as not to forget, Lotje allows filmmaker Sophie Robinson in. Together, they attempt to capture her sensory experiences and totally altered perception in both sound and vision. In her world, everyday life comes crashing in on her and the most absurd dreams feel familiar and real. The camera follows this spirited woman through her intensive rehabilitation, during which she participates in a scientific experiment aimed at recovering use of the language regions of her brain. Interviews with Lotje’s brother, mother and best friend highlight her good humor, positivity and resilience.