A Secret Heart

Following the death of his wife, 64-year-old Patrice decides he will no longer hide himself—from now on, he will live as a woman named Lilou. Contact with his son Tom and daughter Manon had initially broken down after the loss of their mother, but the transition changes all that.

In his intimate debut film, Tom Fontenille closely follows his father’s journey over four years. During that time, something remarkable happens: the reserved, emotionally closed-off man gives way to a warm, communicative woman who loves to chat, enjoys cycling, and radiates joie de vivre. Beyond documenting this transformation, the camera becomes a key tool in helping the family communicate with one another again. Yet the transition is not without friction. As their worlds begin to merge, Lilou’s liberation reopens old wounds and brings unresolved anger to the surface for her children—emotions that Lilou does not always know how to handle.

In capturing the complex dynamics of his own family, Fontenille’s candid and unflinching film becomes a moving portrait of loss, forgiveness, and finding one another again.