Goran Marković

Three different love stories, set in three consecutive decades, in two neighbouring Balkan villages burdened with a long history of inter-ethnic hatred: this is a film about the dangers – and the enduring strength – of forbidden love.

Just out of high school, Lavinia, Carla and Danila leave for a yachting holiday. Accompanied only by a skipper, the three of them sail along the Croatian coast at the start of a new stage in their lives. Full of dreams, free and laid-back, they are unaware that sharing everything on the social media is about to transform their holiday into a brutal rite of passage to adulthood in which nothing, especially their friendship, will ever be the same again.

A stormy winter approaches and a small Dalmatian island soon becomes more and more deserted. A typical Croatian family featuring members from across the generational pool gathers in a small dilapidated household in order to discuss inheritance. However, the discussion quickly takes a snappy twist as new questions begin to pop up that start bringing the crumbling tradionalist family structure down. One of them, a woman named Anica, is determined to keep the situation afloat, no matter what risks it may pose.

A traumatic event – a sudden suicide attempt – opens a gap in the everyday life of a family of three. Their lives change fundamentally, as if they've been pulled into a war invisible to everyone else. The plot is limited to the most acute, a short period of time and a situation that boils down to the most important thing – to save a loved one. The film was based on the personal experience of the director, who also plays the leading role.

The Dark takes place over a period of 36 hours, on the first day of summer. Taxi driver Frane lives together with his sister and her husband in an unusual strange domestic arrangement. Frane learns that his sister is pregnant and he is not sure how he feels about the baby that she is expecting. After his night shift Frane kills a young unknown woman while he is having sex with her. He tries to cover up all traces of the crime, but in doing so he commits two further murders, one of which goes wrong. Throughout the film, the victims tell their stories at the places where the murders took place. On the morning of the summer solstice Frane thinks he has managed to get away with his crimes and he goes with his sister and her husband for a picnic in the forest by the river, not knowing what awaits him there.

After many years, Karla returns to her home island where she must face everything she left behind.

After several miscarriages, Tereza's gynecologist, in an attempt to cheer her up, jokes she should try to conceive with a different partner. This remark shakes up her monotonous life and steers it in a new direction.

In a dystopian future, Matja and his family face an unresolved tragedy. Despite losing his faith and struggling to find his true self, the dawn breaks over the valley, revealing that the only way to deal with trauma and evil is to face them head-on.