Totem

Eleven-year-old Ama is doing well at school and is training hard for the upcoming swimming championship. Together with her parents and her little brother Abi she lives in a shabby tenement in Rotterdam. No one is allowed to know that Ama’s family immigrated illegally from Senegal. From an early age she has therefore learned to never call the police – no matter what. But one evening police officers knock on their door. Although Ama manages to hide in time and her father Babacar is at work, her mother and brother are taken away. Left on her own, the girl finds shelter in the summerhouse of her best friend Thijs. Following the rule, she cannot go to the police. In her desperate search for her father, Ama suddenly sees her totem animal, a giant porcupine. The girl and Totem, as she calls her strength donor from now on, try to find Babacar and prevent the planned deportation. But time is running short. The family is supposed to return to Senegal in 36 hours – with Ama or without her. On top of that, the police are hot on her heels.