Peter “Koza” Baláž is a former Olympic boxer. He and his
girlfriend Miša live in a dilapidated housing estate, constantly struggling to
make ends meet. Miša learns that she is expecting a baby. She decides to
terminate her pregnancy and wants Koza to pay for it. Koza, who has not trained
in a while, steps back into the ring, hoping to earn some much-needed cash and
possibly change Miša’s mind. He and his manager, Zvonko, embark on a “tour” of
countless fights, where success seems impossible and yet is never forfeited.
How many blows must Koza take to earn a decent family life? Koza features Peter
Baláž, who competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and Ján Franek, Olympic
medallist from Moscow 1980, as his coach. “Koza’s story is tough and sad,
dealing with several pressing and complicated issues, but that was not the
storyline we wanted to emphasize. On the contrary, we even wanted to supress it
to avoid evoking pathos,” says Ivan Ostrochovský. The film was premiered at the
2015 Berlinale and has won many domestic and foreign awards.