Dies Caniculares

17-year-old Jan is stuck alone in Zagreb over the summer, preparing for a makeup exam in
physics. He rides his bike daily through the sweltering city to attend lessons with Jurana, a tutor
in her forties whose easy warmth, casual mess and roach-infested apartment stir his fascination.
His attention, however, soon shifts from schoolwork to her — her gestures, her body, her
presence. He begins to record their lessons, scroll through her social media, and seek access to
her life.
When this interest shows too clearly, Jurana pulls away and cancels their lessons. Left adrift, Jan’s
fascination turns into obsession. One night he follows her to a concert, only to see her with
another man. Disillusioned, he breaks into her dismantled apartment, stripped bare for
fumigation. Alone in the ghostly space, he smokes one of her cigarettes and listens to a recording
of her musing on summers in Zagreb. As the heat finally fades into night, a roach scurries across
the floor.