A Compassionate Spy

This is a story about the American Dream for one of the nation's arson capitals

Director, Umut Gunduz, is Stevie's brother. Whilst Stevie served his last prison sentence to date, the two made contact again after many years silent. It wasn't long before they both began to talk of their childhoods and it was then that Umut suggested the making of a film to Stevie. Having never really grown up together, Umut attempts to discover his brother through the medium of film. As he collects the footage and sifts through hours of family home video, he learns more and more about Stevie and begins to piece the young man together for himself, telling a complex story of guilt and misguided choices that inevitably lead to a life of crime, violence and separation.

Shamira Raphaela (30) travels the world as a TV director. Her life is in sharp contrast with that of her father and brother, who are both in and out of jail. In this intimate family portrait, we enter the chaotic and colorful world of Shamira's father Pempy, a drug dealing addict, and her brother Andy, who's following in his fathers footsteps. They both counter their seemingly desperate lives with lots of resilience and humor. Simultaneously, it's impossible for Shamira to remain unaffected by the vicious circle trapping her father and brother. A film about destructive family patterns and unconditional love.

Uisdean wants forgiveness. After 16 years in prison, released to to the Highlands, he wrestles ambition with caring for his father. When the law catches up, a fraught love story intervenes, pitting euphoric reinvention against inevitability.