Her brain exploded. Then she picked up her violin anyway.
On a bright January morning in 2020, 38-year-old Clemency Burton-Hill - Clemmie - suffered a catastrophic brain haemorrhage. Against the odds, she emerged from a 17-day coma, but she was unable to speak or walk and was faced with having to rebuild her life. Using compelling recordings from the early days of her recovery, this documentary follows Clemmie as she tries to return to her work as a broadcaster, finish the book she started before her brain injury, and play her beloved violin again with her son.
Direction
Macfarlane lets the footage breathe — no manipulation needed.
Sound
The violin's return will wreck you completely.
Editing
Before/after juxtapositions that feel earned, not cheap.
Director
Ursula Macfarlane
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Burton-Hill was a BBC arts broadcaster with perfect diction; the film weaponizes our memory of her voice against her post-hemorrhage speech.
Released in 2025, it joins a wave of 'self-documented medical trauma' films — but unlike others, Macfarlane didn't direct herself, allowing actual witnessing.
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