Karen Blixen - Behind Her Mask

In 1952, the young literature professor Aage Hendrixen met the 66-year-old writer Karen Blixen. At that moment, a complicated friendship began, one that took on bizarre forms over the years and had an enormous impact on Aage's life. Blixen, who became particularly famous when her novel Out of Africa was turned into a film, refers to herself as a storyteller in public. For more intimate friends, however, she's the "devil's mistress." Her life is packed with sinister aspects, and they fascinate Aage to such a degree that he also gets absorbed in the supernatural world. While taking walks together, he told his 10-year-old son Morten all about Blixen, including the occult details. Morten didn't understand everything, but the stories left a deep impression on him. After years of estrangement, he goes back to his now elderly father to get information. What possessed him to saddle his son with this intense history, and what of it is actually true? The film doesn't only shed light on the eccentric personality of Blixen, but it's also a crucial self-investigation. Morten has to know who his father is so he can know who he is himself. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)