Thirteen-year-old Mara arrives at a mountain sanatorium to treat her asthma. The building, enveloped by mist and forest, cares for the body but neglects the soul. The white tiling, cold water and rhythm of the inhalers leave a quiet emptiness in the children. When her new friend Jáchym disappears and the staff refuse to speak of him, Mara sets off with her other friends to find him. Amidst the steam, breath and hum of the heating, reality begins to crumble. The children discover that even the landscape remembers its wounds, and that deep within the mountains dwells Rýbrcoul – a spirit who has transformed pain into strength. Mara must face a wholly new fear, one that will teach her to accept her own fragility and find the courage to grow up.
Bára Anna Stejskalová is a Czech filmmaker and visual artist working in stop-motion, puppet animation and mixed media. Her work explores materiality, atmosphere and emotional transformation. Her short films The Fishermen (2017) and Love Is Just a Death Away (2020) were both shortlisted for the BAFTA Student Film Awards. Her films have been screened internationally, including at SXSW and Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Her latest underwater stop-motion musical 9 Million Colours is currently touring festivals, while her debut feature Inhalatorium is in development with support from the Czech Audiovisual Fund.