Pelican / Pelikan

A spa resort way past its finest years, people so relaxed they are on the verge of dying, and one goalkeeper trying to find salvation in a vacuum. Vacuum cleaner, that is.

Josip is a professional football player recovering at a health spa from a knee injury seriously threatening his career. Between sessions with his self-absorbed physiotherapist and visits by his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend and former best friend, it becomes clear that he needs to rediscover himself. To be happy with who he is, he first must get out of his own skin. When he accidentally discovers a sales conference at the spa and gets mistakenly identified as Branimir, a sales rep who never showed up, Josip decides to play along. He embraces his new identity and explores life from a new perspective on a quest to find his true self. But when he steps out of his own mind, many lines begin to blur.

"This debut is the dryly humorous study of a man in the midst of an existential crisis. Extremely well kept in check by the director Filip Herakovic, who is also the co-writer of the film. (...) The themes and setting are reminiscent of <> and <>, but <> counterbalances the moments of humor with a deep sadness" (Wendy Ide, Screen Daily).