Girl with Shells

SINOPSE

Thirteen-year-old Vendula (Dita Kaplanová) dozes off at school and dreams about her parents riding in a carriage dressed in their wedding clothes. The young teacher is angry with the girl who has already failed a year, and has no idea that she is looking after three younger half-brothers. They all have a different father and their mother (Evelyna Steimarová) comes home noisy and drunk every day, often accompanied by a man. Early in the morning, Vendula helps her mother clean offices, and sometimes has to do the cleaning all by herself. Her eldest brother Libor is good at school and blindly adores his mother. Jeník is a talented flute player and much more cynical. The youngest Venousek is still a toddler. The only one who is cared of is Vendula by her father (Ladislav Frej), who has divorced his confirmed alcoholic wife years ago and has another daughter in his new family. All his attempts to persuade Vendula to move in with them are in vain. The girl is selflessly trying to keep the family together.