A Normal Life

Cecilie is a 12-year-old Dane who has been suffering from leukemia for years, and her ever-changing health causes enormous stress in the family. Her mother Stine struggles to divide her attention among her sick daughter, Cecilie's twin sister Katrine, and her younger daughter Frederikke. Stine can't prevent the twins from growing apart because of the different situations they're growing up in. The inevitable split is illustrated using old home movies: footage from when they were toddlers shows a healthy Katrine standing at the sickbed of her fragile sister, who has lost her hair due to chemotherapy. Cecilie's situation seems to require that Katrine behave like a healthy, happy teen. The camera follows Stine and her ex-husband on their way to the hospital and while visiting their sick daughter. They talk candidly about their fears, hopes and doubts, and try to let life go on as normally as possible. Birthdays, cooking, baking cookies and sports are all scheduled in between the many hospital visits. Cecilie is kept up-to-date on everything that's going on by way of text messages and Skype, but Stine's worries inevitably monopolize all their conversations.