Synopsis
Growing up in a marginalized community of traveling circus performers, adolescence is anything but ordinary. For Vojta and his brothers Nikolas and Venca, childhood means being seen not as kids, but as professional performers expected to master dangerous stunts, from aerial tricks to knife-throwing acts. Their nomadic lifestyle shapes every relationship. Constantly on the move, they catch fleeting glimpses of the world but struggle to form lasting connections. Friends come and go, replaced by online followers.
Despite his rising popularity on social media, Vojta often finds himself alone, learning early on to live with involuntary solitude. The one stable force in his life is his immediate family, to whom he clings tightly. Desperate for approval, he
initially follows their path, training hard to meet their expectations. But tradition can be a heavy inheritance.
In the Lánik family, the rule is simple: “You have to act”. Yet as Vojta grows, so does his resistance. He starts questioning not only his future as a circus performer but the entire nomadic life he was born into. The film captures seven years of Vojta’s coming-of-age as he carves out a sense of self in tension with his roots. Through intense training, fleeting friendships, and internal rebellion, he begins to understand what it means to live for yourself, not just for the applause of others.
We follow the process of Vojta’s multi-layered identity taking shape. His maturation into a young man, artist, and circus performer unfolds not only through new experiences and knowledge, but also under the pressure of demanding training that pushes artists to the limits of their physical abilities. The film is a reflection on to what extent a person‘s environment determines them, and to what extent they can be happy in the role they play for others.
Despite his rising popularity on social media, Vojta often finds himself alone, learning early on to live with involuntary solitude. The one stable force in his life is his immediate family, to whom he clings tightly. Desperate for approval, he
initially follows their path, training hard to meet their expectations. But tradition can be a heavy inheritance.
In the Lánik family, the rule is simple: “You have to act”. Yet as Vojta grows, so does his resistance. He starts questioning not only his future as a circus performer but the entire nomadic life he was born into. The film captures seven years of Vojta’s coming-of-age as he carves out a sense of self in tension with his roots. Through intense training, fleeting friendships, and internal rebellion, he begins to understand what it means to live for yourself, not just for the applause of others.
We follow the process of Vojta’s multi-layered identity taking shape. His maturation into a young man, artist, and circus performer unfolds not only through new experiences and knowledge, but also under the pressure of demanding training that pushes artists to the limits of their physical abilities. The film is a reflection on to what extent a person‘s environment determines them, and to what extent they can be happy in the role they play for others.
Gallery
