The Family Forest

A Journey Through Generational Healing

What if the key to your present struggles lies buried in your family's past?

​The Family Forest explores the mysterious and powerful transmission of emotional trauma through generations — a phenomenon long recognized by pioneers like Anne Ancelin-Schützenberger, Bert Hellinger, and Alejandro Jodorowsky. Today, modern epigenetics confirms that trauma can alter gene expression — but how do these “unfinished stories” continue to shape us?

Through deeply personal experiences, filmmaker Louis Mouchet investigates this invisible inheritance:

• His long-term work on The Jodorowsky Constellation,
• A profound genealogical journey sparked by the death of his mother and the birth of his son,
• A transformational family constellation therapy session with Romanian therapist Cristina Schmidt,
• And ultimately, the very making of this film — a therapeutic act in itself.

​The Family Forest is both an intimate documentary and a universal exploration of healing,
​memory, and legacy.

This film is not just a documentary, it's a real-life experience. A path of transformation that combines intimate revelation, family therapy, and the quest for meaning.

A work for all those who feel that “something” can be transmitted beyond words.

Selected in 23 festivals around the world,
​awarded in 12 of them as best documentary, best psychological or best experimental film.

Interviews:

Ariane Giacobino
​ Medical Geneticist

Cristina Schmidt
 Transgenerational therapist
 Associate Professor, Bucharest University

Tony T. Gaillard
 Psycho-genetician
 Transgenerational therapist

Louis Mouchet &

Cristina Schmidt

Alexandro Jodorowsky

The film is available on Vimeo on Demand, Tubi & Apple TV+ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇦🇺

The Family Forest is a unique document on the unconscious family and the invisible transmissions between generations.

The film has already fueled many exciting screenings and debates with a sensitive and committed audience.

We are very interested in collaborating on new events, screenings or exchanges around the film.

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FAQ

What is psychogenealogy?

Psychogenealogy studies how unresolved events in family history can influence our current psychic life, often unconsciously.

What is epigenetics?

Epigenetics explores how our environment and experiences can modify the expression of our genes, without changing the DNA itself — and how these modifications can be transmitted.

Where do family constellations fit in with psychogenealogy?

Family constellations are a therapeutic approach derived from psychogenealogy. It enables us to symbolically represent family dynamics and reveal invisible blockages or loyalties.

Was it painful to make a film on such an intimate subject?

Yes, it was painful. Confronting yourself and your own history is not easy. But it was constructive, liberating pain. What counts is how far you've come — and what you've opened up.

What was the result for you personally?

I was able to unburden myself of weights that were cluttering up my life. This has enabled me to refocus, to move more freely towards what calls me, and to live with greater clarity and peace.