A young boy lives near a dog shelter and plays football for a school team. He also suffers from extreme cruelty from his aggressive father. When his team coach buys new kit it means Bartek will have to get changed in front of everyone else, exposing the marks on his body. His refusal to play leads to a confrontation between him, his coach and his father.
As a short film lover I try to get them from all over but I'm a fool, so I assume that foreign films won't be as good as UK or US shorts. However this is a very good look at a child abuse situation. The setting is rough and real and the attention to detail is good. I got into the boy's situation easily all the adults in his life are pretty aggressive and he has grown quiet when around them. It's not sensationalising anything and many may be let down by how down beat the drama is.
I admit that it did have an unsatisfying edge to it as I naturally expect this sort of thing to have a semi-happy or emotional ending, whereas this is more downbeat. I still felt impacted by the reality though. The cast are excellent and you never for a second think `these actors are good' because I never saw them as pretending or giving a performance. Bartosz Idczak was great and really brought Bartek into life.
Overall it may be a little bleak and ordinary for some viewers but the characters are great and the direction is excellent. It may be downbeat but this is well worth a look.