Bruised Knees

A winter day, the outskirts of Prague. One building, two flats, two strangers in a whirlwind of change.

Upstairs, Niko (25), a sensitive romani man, braces for the homebirth of his first child. As families flock to the apartment, he loses his nerve and flees, hiding in a shopping mall. There he ends up taking responsibility for two wild children who have gotten in trouble. Running even further from home, he sets off with them across the city to figure out where they belong. In the end the mysterious children learn his struggle, confront him and force him to face fatherhood. Downstairs, Selma (33), a single mother, welcomes a young spiritist, seeking help for her chronically sad son (8). Desperate, she has agreed to a séance to connect the boy with his dead father. As the ritual culminates, Selma realizes it was her who needed saving all along. By nightfall, both witness a miracle: As Niko’s daughter pushes into the world, the soothing arm of Selma’s lost partner reaches out from the beyond.