The closet has dire consequences in this heart-wrenching tale of two older lesbians who haven’t disclosed their relationship to the kids yet. Mado and Nina live together as a couple but maintain the fiction of neighborly friendship—and separate apartments—for the benefit of Mado’s adult son and daughter. When an unexpected crisis puts Mado’s children in charge of their mother, Nina finds herself shunted aside, and her attempts to rescue her and Mado’s relationship turn increasingly desperate.

The domestic drama plays like a thriller, with shadowy interiors, peep-hole POVs, and an eerie soundtrack dominated by cawing crows. In this sizzling feature debut from Filippo Meneghetti, arthouse fave Barbara Sukowa (Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Lola) shines as the indomitable Nina, who sneaks between apartments and hides like a thief in her lover’s room. Sukowa’s compelling mix of grief and rage is matched by Martine Chevallier (Farewell, My Queen), who subtly conveys Mado’s quiet desperation. Theirs is a potent and perilous love story with a late-life coming-out twist — it’s also a timely reminder to check your medical powers of attorney and make sure they’re up to date.