Discovery Zuzana Kirchnerova Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia 100 min
A burned-out mother takes off with her disabled teenage son across southern Italy in a borrowed caravan.
Ester is 45, exhausted, and tethered to the daily care of her nonverbal disabled teenage son, David. When friends in Italy offer her a brief escape, she accepts—only to find they’ve relegated her and David to a caravan in the garden. One night after an argument, she starts the engine and drives off. What follows is a sun-drenched road trip, where she forms a friendship with the vivacious pink-haired Zuza, picks up some work on a farm, has various sexual encounters and experiences a new sense of freedom.
Shot on location in Reggio Calabria and the South Moravian region, Caravan is a poetic, emotionally raw debut from Czech director Zuzana Kirchnerová-Špidlová. Inspired by her own experience raising a child with Down syndrome and autism, she generously casts real life Down teenager David Vostrcil as David. As his mother, Anna Geislerová delivers an impressive lead performance, portraying a range of emotions and her powerful bond and almost telepathic way of communicating with her mute son. Vibrantly filmed with colourful impressionistic scenes and intimate extreme close-ups, this immersive mid-life coming of age tale manages the rare feat of combining a documentary-like social realism with a richly cinematic style.
“Anna Geislerová delivers a career-best performance—worn down, luminous, and quietly defiant” — The Hollywood Reporter
“A tender, introspective road drama… exploring themes of motherhood, independence, and the parallel coming-of-age journeys of both mother and son” — The Upcoming
“A poignant and prickly mother-son drama told with integrity… emotionally authentic and minutely observed” — High On Films
Credits:
- Actor
- Anna Geislerová, David Vostrcil, Juliana Olhová
- Director
- Zuzana Kirchnerova
Running Time: 100 min
Year: 2025
Country: Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia
Languages: Czech
Subtitles: English
Recomended Age: 18
