Unfamiliar Secrets is a phantasmagoric tale about sisterhood, identity, the conflict of personal values and the damage this can have on family life. 

After the sudden death of their great aunt, sisters May-Belle, Sheila, and Kayce return home to live with their father, only to find his house and laboratory empty and abandoned. In secret, May-Belle discovers letters left by their father, but before she can make sense of them, an old colleague delivers shocking news: their father is dead.

Determined to take control, May-Belle imposes strict rules on her sisters while obsessively searching his laboratory for answers. She eventually uncovers a hidden vault containing their mother’s perfectly preserved corpse. Convinced their father’s letter contains coded instructions to bring their parents back, she spirals deeper into delusion.

Meanwhile, Sheila rebels against May-Belle’s control, indulging in drug use and retreating into the nightlife of the local town. During one of her nocturnal excursions, she meets Matilda, a mysterious newcomer, and they begin a passionate affair. Through their relationship, Sheila gradually turns away from her old self-destructive habits to lead a more responsible, balanced life. The youngest sister, Kayce is left to fend for herself. Bullied at school, isolated, and ignored at home, in desperation, she resorts to self-harm.

Desperate for solace, Kayce breaks into May-Belle’s lab where she finds the letters to herself and Sheila that May-Belle had absconded with. Worse still she discovers the corpses of her parents. In horror, she alerts Sheila, who stands in the garden, burning the remainder of her narcotics. An altercation breaks out and Sheila demands that May-Belle end her disturbing experiments and give their parents a proper burial.

After the horrifying events, Sheila leaves home for good to start a new life with Matilda, while Kayce, now alone with May-Belle, sinks further into despair. The relationship between the three sisters is now irreversibly shattered.

Artwork: Vela Klitgaard