Mai Hua

The documentary penetrates deep into the intimate therapeutic journeys of a rare breed of men dedicated to inner growth, self-enquiry and mutual support. Witness profoundly personal talking head interviews and join director Hyde and some of the group members on a powerfully emotive pilgrimage to the First World War battlefields of the Somme where silence is often louder than words. Funny, tragic, poignant and above all deeply honest, each and every one of the participants is unguarded, raw and open in a way you may never have seen before. With men chosen at random from Hyde’s 25 year group practice, the film explores universal themes such as sex, abuse, relationships and what it means to be a (hu)man in 21st century culture as the members strive to be the best versions of themselves, despite the prevailing sexist view of masculinity that still maintains men should be strong, silent and hide their vulnerability.

Mai Hua, French woman of Vietnamese descent, is a single mother of two. In 2013, she and her mother bring her dying grand-mother to France. As she miraculously rises again, her unresolved past also floods back: Mai becomes the heiress of a complex and painful family heritage that she doesn't want to hand over to her daughter.