Matija Tomić

Due to socio-political issues in the country, it has become questionable to what extent the decision to leave the home country is forced. The community that is needed to establish better conditions and consequently slow down the trend of emigration due to the same problem remains weakened. These and many other factors lead to devastating statistics and the increasingly present problems of contemporary Croatian society. Žal, allegorically representing the country, tries to find the complex causes of the problem.

In a forgotten post-industrial town in central Croatia, three young friends spend their summer days aimlessly, trapped within the crumbling remnants of what was once a lively place. Their lives are marked by boredom, fleeting moments of joy, and a quiet sense of resignation to their fate. Through a series of vignettes, we witness their small, seemingly insignificant acts of rebellion against monotony, as the relentless weight of the neglected town gradually bears down on them.