Plots(1)
The Jent family watch images from their super-8 film archive of a strong, bright-eyed youth, who moves with an extraordinary grace, taking a daring high dive into a pool of water. Then comes the day when the 19-year-old almost loses his life in a motorbike accident. After four weeks in a coma he wakes up, paralysed and robbed of his sight and speech, to a new and radically different existence. Unter Wasser Atmen is a powerful document of how satisfaction, happiness and even professional success can find a place in such a life. Step by step, and with boundless willpower and patience, Nils fights his way back into everyday life. He explores the frontiers of his handicapped body, and draws on the one thing that remains completely unscathed: his intelligence. Thanks to the unwavering support of his parents, Nils achieves goals nobody believed possible. Twenty years after his accident, Nils has lost none of his sparkle – in fact, he now shines brighter than ever. (Zurich Film Festival)
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