Fifth boat

“Be polite, otherwise I won’t love you” is what ten-year-old Yarka heard most often from her mother. The woman gave birth to her very early and turned her upbringing into a barter system, where food must be paid for with obedience. Yarka lacks love, so the girl tries to find it in a fictional world. She sees abandoned twins and for the first time feels the call of care, an obsessive desire to become the mother she never had.

“The Fifth Boat” is a tragic story about how unwanted children grow up, whom their parents do not notice and traumatize with their expectations. This is not just a story about childhood, but a painful look into a familiar home where unconditional love is lacking.