Like Air

Misha finds a connection to her past and her abilities through an encounter with a mysterious healer.

A surgeon's search for her lost memories leads her to a remote village, where she uncovers long-buried family secrets and a supernatural gift tied to her past – all while navigating hidden dangers and her growing connection with a mysterious healer.

Main production country: Czechia

Director's note

"Like Air" explores the aftermath of a tragic ritual performed by Juraj and Misha's father, which fractures their family and pushes the siblings to revisit the past in search of answers.
Grounded in realistic family dynamics, the film uses mystery and horror elements – Misha's and Juraj's abilities – as metaphors for the challenges of human relationships. Misha, the central character, leads the audience's perspective, with Juraj's viewpoint revealed later.
An important theme of the story is memory, which can change over time. The past is perceived differently by Misha and Juraj, even though they experienced the same events as children. As time passes, these events in their memories become distorted – sometimes they vanish like air, while at other times they gain fabricated details to conceal unpleasant truths. This self-defence mechanism allows Misha to live her life calmly until her memories are triggered by a resemblance to a present-day event. The title of the film refers not only to Juraj's inability to feel pain but also to the overarching concept of the distortion and disappearance of the past.
Inspired by the shamanic culture of Eastern Siberia, the film incorporates supernatural motifs and a village setting from the director's birthplace. Its visual style balances magical realism with folk horror, relying on emotional cues rather than visual effects.

Subjects:
mysticism, familial relationships