After Mihaela reaches out to filmmaker Rachel Taparjan to help her find her birth mother, they set off for Romania, returning to the orphanage where they were both adopted. This search unravels the stories Mihaela once held onto about herself. It also draws Rachel into her own journey through her family’s past, unveiling a painful legacy that has loomed over its women and bound them despite the separation.

Meeting her family, however, is unlike the imagined scenarios, which were once full of hope and infinite possibilities. Reality comes with an eerie sense of loss. To fill in the gaps and have some of her questions answered, Rachel enlists actresses to sit in for her mother. In an intriguing exercise, the long-unspoken questions and unresolved wounds surface as multiple ‘mothers’ fill the empty chair across from her, creating space for honesty and emotional release. Through the act of filmmaking, the director traces absence, trauma, and the bonds of family, exploring whether self-authorship can rewrite familiar narratives.

Something Familiar received the Chicken & Egg Vision Award at Cannes 2025.