Synopsis

Bus driver Ivo and his wife Maja live in a drab suburb of Zagreb with their only son Tomica. They are a little concerned about the fact that the teenage boy hardly ever talks to them and frequently does not get home before late at night. Apart from that, their simple life runs smoothly and quietly. One night, Tomica is attacked and beaten up by other youngsters in the street without any obvious reason. At first, he shrugs off this incident as insignificant, but finally agrees to go to the hospital after all, where the doctors diagnose slight injuries only. Back home, however, he passes out, and it turns out quickly that he has suffered far more serious injuries by the beating than just a few scratches. From now on, the parents go through a terrible, endless nightmare. Gradually, their allegedly safe world turns out to be nothing but an illusion. Both of them are soon forced to question the official and unofficial rules they had previously believed in – and ultimately, they even have to fight against the apathetic system surrounding them. This powerful, naturalistically directed drama based on a true story, including a fair share of social criticism, proves to be the evocative story of a personal tragedy.