Breinsussen

Sisters Marijke (1979) and Janneke (1982), working mothers with young children, are in the middle of life; Marijke is a psychologist, Janneke runs an institute for student counselling. In 2019, their mother dies at the age of 67. After autopsy, she is found to have suffered from frontotemporal dementia (FTD), where it is almost certain that the disease has a genetic component. Should that be the case, there is a 50% chance that the disease will also manifest itself in Marijke and/or Janneke. As the two approach the age at which the disease often manifests itself, the sisters must make an important decision: do they want to know whether or not they are hereditary?

Filmmaker Olga Tops poignantly shows what it is like to live with the proverbial sword of Damokles hanging over your head. Can the sisters live with uncertainty, how do you deal with the idea that you might have a condition that can completely change your personality? Do they manage to appease the brain?