An animal displaced from the circus, here to perform for us, and a trainer who did their best to prepare the animal for a world that no longer exists.

We see these two trying to find their place in an unfamiliar world.

Having failed to prepare the animal for a world he could not have imagined, the trainer considers how he has loved, and finds regret. He thus confronts the fears and shame that have hijacked his love.

The animal, under-prepared, struggles to control an excited and traumatized nervous system.

We see failure after failure on our way to a healing ritual. A confrontation of sorrow that leads to release. The trainer tells us, “we cannot choose what we are numb to; we must open ourselves to suffering in order to have access to joy”.