In a shabby caravan left over from his once-prosperous carnival business, a Polish man struggles to raise his seven-year-old grandson Hugo after the death of the boy's mother and the incarceration of his father. The retired king of amusement parks raises his deceased daughter's child as if he were his own. Despite meagre means and an unconventional setting, he does everything in his power to provide Hugo with love, support and a sense of normalcy. The memory of Hugo's mother looms large and is a constant presence that bonds the two. But ghosts from the past threaten their time together when the pair's living conditions are questioned by child services and Hugo's custody is contested by his father upon his release from prison. Director Wojciech Klimala's debut is an exquisitely restrained and sensitive story about paternal instinct and love in defiance of traditional models of parenting. Angie Driscoll
Co-presented with Ekran - Toronto Polish Film Festival.