Čedo

Čedo is a documentary film about Čedo Šaraba, a man pushed off the stage, the likes of whom we see daily in streets, parks and trams, collecting plastic bottles and scrounging money. Čedo is 45. He is homeless, alcoholic and drug addict with no legal income. His mother is a Croat and his father is a Montenegrin. Čedo's parents moved to Zagreb in the 1950s: mother came from Croatian Podravina and father came from Bosnia. Čedo was born in 1965 (he was named after his father's brother). His mother worked as bookbinder. She also cleaned houses of wealthy citizens. Father was a machinist, but he never really worked: he was a bum, alcoholic and womanizer. Besides Čedo, he had at least five more children. He never recognized them because they were all born out of wedlock. He only recognized Čedo (who has his family name) and his stepsister, who lives in Switzerland. He lost his life in a bizarre accident: while jumping off a train, he ran into a lamp post and died.

At the time of his father's death, Čedo was 16 months old and his troubles were yet to begin. At the age of 12 he started to drink. At 16, he was diagnosed with alcoholism. Although a Catholic, baptized by Franciscan monks, he and his mother were harassed because of their family name in the 1990s. Čedo's first name was not very popular either. The 1990s also saw him becoming addicted to heroin. Čedo Šaraba and a few of his mates agreed to tell their life stories.