Lada started stealing after he ran away from home at the age of six. He later graduated to assault and robbery, drink and drugs. In prison, Lada often hurts himself by cutting or swallowing sharp objects. Lada's life has been shaped by correctional institutions.


Director's note:

“When we met him he was in prison for the second time and he was constantly being given some prison punishment, particularly for self-abuse. He would cut himself up, take overdoses and so on. He kept on promising to make himself better and that he now knew how to. After amnesty Lada went missing and soon the police were after him.

It was not long before he was in prison again. This time he brightened up his stay by swallowing spoons and wires (always followed by an operation in the prison hospital). He also renewed his relationship with a friend from his youth who had been sent to a prison in Pardubice. She, too, swallows spoons - and we are told of her experiences from prison and hospital. Not long before he was released, Lada proclaimed that he now knew how to live properly, that he never wanted to live like an animal ever again!

He met another girl after his release, they lived under bridges and from Salvation Army aid; occasionally they found some 'jobs' but both of them eventually ended up in prison once more... A new stage in the love correspondence - from one prison to the next...”