Ilay (Mohammed Yassin Ben Majdouba) doesn’t like talking much. He hides in silence and, to be honest, doesn’t have time to chat anyway. At only 16 years old, he’s busy. He goes from gig to gig, chore to chore and pawnshop to pawnshop, allowing his legs to keep his mind from wandering too much. His bedridden mum might actually be dying. It’s better not to think and better not to talk.

In the Berlinale title The Lights, They Fall, a quiet gem in Generation 14plus, director Saša Vajda does the same: he says quite a lot without spelling anything out. There’s loss, grief and anger; there’s the loneliness of a teenager and of a son who can do nothing to help his mother. He can only watch Ana (Flor Prieto Catemaxca), her palliative nurse, take care of her. While Vajda’s film is on the slow side, which is bound to test some viewers, it’s also touching and never sentimental. A no-nonsense protagonist like this would never allow it anyway.

Ilay’s mind-numbing routines on the outskirts of Berlin and his financial struggles immediately suggest social-realist cinema – that is, until he finally opens his mouth. When facing a psychologist, he begins to speak, and what comes out is surprising. “I’m a ghost,” he calmly states, explaining that it’s impossible to die. Suddenly, what seemed so ordinary gets a spiritual layer and a protagonist who doesn’t just create his own reality; he creates his own imaginary as well.

He has to – otherwise, he would be forced to say his final goodbye. The single most harrowing thing here might be waiting for someone you love to die. Vajda is kind and not explicit, but it’s still not easy to watch. Ilay seems strong, but damn, he’s just a kid. Once again, it’s all about those famous stages of grief, denial included, but they’re explored delicately because, again, that stoic boy never screams out his emotions.

Although it sounds heavy, some much-needed levity – and disarming stupidity – is provided courtesy of his buddies, who are eager to pass the time during that especially hot summer by talking nonsense, preferably about ladies. Apparently, playing guitar is a red flag, and even nice legs won’t help – another one turns women into a “maths problem”. These brief, Linklater-esque scenes allow the film, and Ilay, to breathe. They also prove that there’s more to his life than pain and waiting for the inevitable. He might not crack a smile any time soon, but he will find his way. He always does.

The Lights, They Fall was produced by Germany’s vajda film, Schuldenberg Films and ZDF Das Kleine Fernsehspiel.