Gone
Date:
January 15, 2023
Gone
Logline
On New Year’s Eve, Jindra and his teenage daughter Bara cluelessly drive through the gloomy countryside, looking for her missing dog. And the connection they’ve lost long ago.
Synopsis
After several months of separation, Jindra (42) and his daughter Bara (15) are finally supposed to spend New Year’s Eve together. However, Bara unexpectedly chooses to attend a party with friends. Throughout the evening, Jindra grapples with loneliness, while taking care of her daughter’s new dog – Ellie. At midnight, searching for a brief moment of joy, he goes outside. Colorful fireworks illuminate the sky above the small town. Ellie, startled by the noise, slips through the unlatched gate which Jindra hasn’t fixed for years.
With the whole world asleep – woven with threads of recovery, and hopes for yet-to-be-told stories – Jindra and Bara cluelessly traverse the snow-covered countryside. Condemned to each other, after several unsuccessful hours of searching, the daughter and father feel more distant than ever. Exhausted, Jindra doesn’t see the sense to continue. Furious Bara has had enough. She calls her mother – Martina (43) – and asks for help. Heart-wrenched Jindra begins a race against time.
No matter how desperately and illogically, Jindra decides to act. In one hour, Bara’s mother will arrive. Feeling like he’s losing his final chance, Jindra will interrogate drunk teenagers, teach Bara to drive a car, steal her phone, and embark on a frantic pursuit of a dog…unfortunately the wrong one.
All of this to find Ellie, and finally prove to Bara – who blames him for the divorce from her mother – that he can be the father she deserves, that he is not useless.
All of this, to even for a brief moment in his sad existence – feel needed.
Author’s Note
Is it possible to redeem the trust of someone who knows you so well, that all she knows is that you will fail her again? “Gone” is the portrait of the father and husband, who hasn’t succeeded in any of his roles.
It combines two perspectives: how the world sees him – an introvert, a loser – with his inner state – lonely, clueless, and struggling with depression. The film explores the connection between mental health, and readiness to build a family, according to social norms.
The story of Jindra is the manifestation of the growing fear of our generation – stepping into parenthood. We fear losing, and failing our loved ones, if we lose the fight with ourselves. In “Gone” the fragile main character is put into a hopeless situation. The remote landscape of the winter countryside brings up the feeling of loss. Long observative shots, pauses in storytelling rhythm, and dialogues resonating with surrounding emptiness – all help in experiencing Jindra’s state of mind.
The film creates an atmosphere of exhaustion and frustration, but ultimately a sense of hope. Searching for a dog in the middle of nowhere forces father and daughter to cooperate and brings the chance for change in their relationship.
Company Profile
TERAFI, founded in 2021, focuses on the development and production of short fiction and documentary films. Ester Valtrová, the head of the company, has been a line producer of dozens of student films, an in-house line producer in a production company 13ka, and a creative producer of short fiction films. She collaborates with talented upcoming directors such as Mikoláš Arsenjev, Petr Michal, Ester Kasalová, Piotr Jasiński and more. Currently, she is also developing Piotr’s feature debut.