Raid
Twelve years after a brutal police raid shattered his dream of becoming a teacher and leaving the Romani settlement on the outskirts of a small eastern Slovak town, Igor has found his calling as a mediator between the world inside and outside the settlement, helping local Roma with official matters and advice. He also supports his sister Veronika in raising her four sons, determined that his eldest nephew Martin will be the first in the family to make it out. But during the hot summer holidays, school and learning are the last things on Martin’s mind. With his brothers and friends, he escapes to the river and the cornfields, where battle games follow their own rules.
Although Igor’s case ended in his favor at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the police officers remained unpunished and active in the region. When disturbing testimonies of new police brutality against Roma settlers begin to spread from a nearby village, Igor must confront not only the violent images returning to his mind but also the limits of the help one can offer while living on the margins of society.
Through the observation of children’s games and the magical dimension of recurring nightmares, the film highlights the importance of collective memory in a place where life is lived day by day, as well as the need for understanding across a deeply divided society.
Although Igor’s case ended in his favor at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the police officers remained unpunished and active in the region. When disturbing testimonies of new police brutality against Roma settlers begin to spread from a nearby village, Igor must confront not only the violent images returning to his mind but also the limits of the help one can offer while living on the margins of society.
Through the observation of children’s games and the magical dimension of recurring nightmares, the film highlights the importance of collective memory in a place where life is lived day by day, as well as the need for understanding across a deeply divided society.
I had a Dream about an Elephant
On the periphery of Europe, where the state remains a mere abstraction, a vacuum emerged. Within this void, Mikuláš Vareha was born – a man who understood that in times of social chaos, people do not long for freedom, but for certainty, however illusory. Vareha built an empire on multimillion-euro fraud and became the "King of Zemplín," worshipped by those forgotten by the world. The film captures him after 11 years in prison, like the hero of Ionesco’s absurd drama Exit the King. Despite a schizophrenic reality, ego refuses to surrender. He decides on a restart: planning to build a new kingdom amidst mud and rust.
Into this world enters Erik. Vareha was his childhood superhero, but only after returning from the "big world" of European metropolises, marked by anonymity and uncertainty, did he take a radical step. Erik leaves the West and moves to his idol’s estate as an apprentice. Much like Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, Vareha seeks to bring a symbol of grandeur to the impoverished region to prove he is still alive. Amidst preparations for this bizarre triumph, an unexpected twist occurs: Vareha dies suddenly while feeding chickens. The ship is sinking, the captain is dead, and Erik is left alone. In absolute silence, he watches the dream turn to dust. The film is a study of populism and the crisis of masculinity, showing how autocrats are born and why lost young men follow them.
Into this world enters Erik. Vareha was his childhood superhero, but only after returning from the "big world" of European metropolises, marked by anonymity and uncertainty, did he take a radical step. Erik leaves the West and moves to his idol’s estate as an apprentice. Much like Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, Vareha seeks to bring a symbol of grandeur to the impoverished region to prove he is still alive. Amidst preparations for this bizarre triumph, an unexpected twist occurs: Vareha dies suddenly while feeding chickens. The ship is sinking, the captain is dead, and Erik is left alone. In absolute silence, he watches the dream turn to dust. The film is a study of populism and the crisis of masculinity, showing how autocrats are born and why lost young men follow them.