The Mechanics of Borders

Mathieu, 19, has spent most of his life in foster care. Quiet and withdrawn, he works at a slaughterhouse and keeps those around him at a distance. When he receives an unexpected call from his older sister Heidi, who abruptly left for the United States three years earlier and now wants to return home, he reluctantly sets out on a journey to bring her back to Canada.

As the siblings travel north together, old wounds begin to resurface. Years of neglect, abandonment, and unresolved resentment complicate their reunion, forcing them to confront the fragile bond that still connects them. What begins as a simple road trip gradually becomes an emotional reckoning, as Mathieu is drawn into the darkest corners of his past and struggles to find a sense of belonging beyond the life that has shaped him.