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A teenager plays soccer. Andrej is a young soccer player, talented and hard-working, thanks in large part to his father, who is obsessed with the game. But now his father has passed away, and Andrej must soldier on. Without his dad, his motivations and ambitions to become a professional player come into question, as he figures out how much of them came from him and how much from his dad. Directed and written by Michael Rukavina, this observant and perceptive short drama is a skillful blend of sports narrative, coming-of-age story and Croatian family drama, chronicling a talented young player who is not just grieving for his dad, but figuring out what he really wants for himself after the loss of his biggest influence in life. It has the visual dynamism of a sports drama, with its handheld camerawork and gritty, unvarnished naturalism, capturing the slog and effort of each kick and maneuver. But the heart of the compelling emotional journey is an exploration of just how love, sports and ambition have intertwined between parent and child. We open on a dream or a memory of Andrej and his father, who is coaching him. There's both comfort in the familiarity of a father and son kicking the ball around together, but a tension as well: Andrej's father is tough on him, pushing him to do better. When he wakes up, his father is still gone. And in his absence, Andrej is struggling, both from grief and from his lack of motivation. But he decides to take to the field anyway, pushing himself to keep going. The game doesn't go as well as Andrej would like, as he is confronted with his emotional crisis just when his team and coach need him. As Andrej, actor Marcus Cvitak conveys the weight of a young man who must keep going, even as the reasons become cloudier and more muddled and his grief comes to the fore. He feels stuck, perhaps even resentful of the father who pushed him so hard. But it takes a conversation with his mother -- played with sensitivity by actor Flo Hadzic -- to gain the fuller understanding of just what the game meant to his father, and just how deep his love was for his son. Touching and compelling, FOOTSTEPS FORWARD is a perceptive snapshot of how sports often bridge the relationship between fathers and sons. But it also captures how death robs us of a deeper knowledge about our parents as people, a picture that often only comes with time and maturity. Andrej believes soccer was an unrealized dream of his dad's, foisted onto him. But as he learns, his dad's dreams and his most deeply held values were not expectations for the next generation. He loved soccer -- but he loved his son more. FOOTSTEPS FORWARD. Courtesy of Michael Rukavina at https://instagram.com/koracinaprijed.