The Goose

A young boy dreams of becoming a professional footballer and playing in the biggest stadiums, but for that he must first win a match in a small court, against a goose. The boy lives with his grandmother in a hut in the middle of nowhere. One day, a wooden crate containing a goose is delivered. The animal quickly takes over the space around the crate and won't let anyone near it. The goose hisses and bites, it is aggressive. When the boy's ball gets into its area, the trouble really starts. It's not so easy to get the ball back... The conflict escalates and leads to the boy attacking the goose. When his grandma is not there to act as "referee", he takes his slingshot and "shoots" the bird. Will the goose die? Now the ball is free again, but the boy doesn't feel like a winner. Especially not when he discovers the hatched eggs in the goose's box. The cute goslings are looking for their mother and it's time to take responsibility. The football is pushed aside - before everything turns out well after all. "The Goose" is the little story of a big misunderstanding. An endearing, funny and subtle short film, completely without words, which skilfully combines puppet animation and digital animation. Director Jan Míka explains: "There were a lot of children at the first test screening and I was excited to see what they would say. But at such events, people never say what they really think. Instead of asking, I watched the audience during the film to see if the children were watching or fidgeting. And I was pleased to see that they were following it intently, that they were scared when they were supposed to be scared, that they laughed when it was intentional, and that the time they spent watching the film flew by and they didn't have time to get bored. The film is not suitable for very young children. The story switches between dreams, fantasies and reality, which can be a little difficult for younger children to understand, and there are some narrative jumps that could be confusing for them."