Bastards of Utopia

Three Croatian activists fight to change the world. As children, they lived through the collapse of Yugoslavia. But now, amid the aftershocks of socialism's failure, they fight in their own way for a new leftism. Whether clashing with police or squatting in an old factory, these activists risk everything to live their politics. In the middle of it all a skeptical American is won over by their cause and even goes to jail with them. But as the setbacks mount, will they all give up the fight? The film, shot during years of fieldwork with a Croatian anarchist collective, applies EnMasseFilm's unique blend of observation, direct participation and critical reflection to this misunderstood political movement. Its portrayal of activism is both empathetic and unflinching-an engaged, elegant meditation on the struggle to re-imagine leftist politics and the power of a country's youth.