Imagine if you can’t understand a word the teacher is saying on your first day of school. This is the experience of most of the children who join a special introductory class at the elementary school in the Dutch village of Hapert. Coming from countries like Syria and Iraq, they have all been through a lot. Fortunately, their teacher is Miss Kiet – strict but fair, patient, kind and concerned. Nevertheless, the teacher only plays a supporting role in this observational documentary by Peter and Petra Lataster, who followed the class for a year. They filmed everything from the perspective of the children – little Leanne, traumatized Jorj, feisty Haya – not only in the classroom, but also during recess, out of the teacher’s sight. The result is moving, often funny and sometimes sad, but most of all it gives cause for hope. Miss Kiet doesn’t just teach the children Dutch and math, she also shows them how to help each other. She sees who needs to have a talk, or who could use a new pair of glasses. By the end of the school year, the class has become a safe and close-knit community. (From IDFA official website)

每8位荷兰女性中就有一个患有乳腺癌，这意味着许多人知道有人在同这威胁着生命的疾病斗争。女人身体上最脆弱，美丽，骄傲，性感的一部分却变成了她们绝望和愤怒的来源。对于英格里德、维奇和塞布丽娜来说，乳腺癌却并非如此。她们都在经历艰难且痛苦的治疗，并处于漫长的恢复期，但她们都敏锐的意识到，疾病会毫无预兆的再次抬起它丑陋的头颅。病魔几近摧毁她们，她们感觉人生毫无安全感可言，自尊心岌岌可危，甚至连作为女人的感觉都被剥夺了。噩梦惊醒通过非常私人且亲密的方式，展现了女性和她们的同伴们如何在确诊后重新掌控自己的人生。没有任何相关的评论或者采访，影片只是紧随着英格里德、维奇和塞布丽娜拍摄，并记录下她们在医院里面临的不可避免且痛苦的抉择。她们如何收拾残局，谁又能给予帮助？她们和家人又如何摆脱对未知的未来的恐惧？抱着一线希望，三个女人用凭借自己对生活的热爱，用乐观、坚韧和幽默的人生态度阻拦着病魔的脚步。