Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska uses a true story about a tragic excursion of four teenagers as a template for examining a country unable to shake off its past when gazing into the future.
Milan and his best friend Petar plan an adventurous excursion with some other teenagers from the outskirts of Skopje. They are adrenalised for a boys’ night out of drinking and horseplay before an early morning fishing expedition. They are typical teenagers; sometimes devilish and sometimes angelic, hungry to be adults, yet still mostly acting like children. They all have dysfunctional relationships with their parents, and represent a whole generation of youth raised in a time of transition and questionable values. Their night of fun is tainted by ethnic tensions and an ill-fated visit to a teenage prostitute.
"The film isn’t an investigation into the perpetrators of the murder. The boys were murdered, that’s a fact, but what provoked me was the culture, the society behind this violent act. Violence induces violence. With this film, I wanted to put the spotlight on the problem of violence in the Balkan society. We are a violent culture living in a violent world, and unless we learn how to tolerate, respect and honour others, there will be no future for us in the Balkans." (Teona Strugar Mitevska)
