The Cloud

The savage beating and subsequent death of Zagreb high-school senior student Luka Ritz (18) in 2008 shocked the Croatian public, as did the months-long search for the juvenile perpetrators of the crime. The incident also sparked an unprecedented civil campaign in Croatia against the escalation of youth violence. The Cloud is an intimate story of events that took place beyond the reach of all the publicity surrounding the case: an emotional story about the traumatic loss of an only son, a best friend and a first boyfriend. This documentary film follows Luka’s parents, friends and girlfriend in their everyday struggle with anger, grief, disappointment, anxiety and memories, over the period of one year following his death. At the same this is also a story about the importance and necessity of civil solidarity and activism in today’s society.