Short synopsis
After 10 years of being in a passive and self-isolation state, a painter Darko Babic accepted an invitation to exhibit his works in an art gallery in his own town. It marked the beginning of a 10-month long period of preparing the exhibition, a period of self-struggle with his own passivity, established habits and personal boundaries. By accepting the invitation, the artist also ran the risk of leaving the gallery walls bare.

Long synopsis
Restart is a story about Darko Babic, a painter from Pozega who spent more than 10 years isolated from all social activities and passive about his own creativity. It is a story about a man who society expected nothing from, a man who stopped expecting anything from others and a man who seemed devoid of all personal expectations.

At the beginning of his career, 10 years ago, after his first solo exhibition he discovered he had multiple sclerosis – an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). There is no known cure for multiple sclerosis. The specific symptoms include loss of connection between the brain and extremities or this connection can be extremely damaged. Brain messages are received late or sent involuntarily. The brain signals usually disappear along the way. This knowledge marked the beginning of a gradual self-isolation. Darko stopped being creative giving himself up to the habits which made him completely passive.

However, there were still some things expected from the artist. He got the invitation from his friend Sladjana Petrovic Varagic to prepare an exhibition at Pozega Art Gallery. Her intention was to wake up artistic spirit in Darko, and by doing it wake up a friend in him as well.

Darko accepted the challenge and so a ten-month long period of preparing the exhibition started. It also marked the beginning of an uncertain period of self-struggle with his own passivity, established habits and personal boundaries. By accepting the invitation, the artist also ran the risk of leaving the gallery walls bare.

Restart is not a story about a disease. The disease is perceptible as a metaphor for human passivity, inability to think, speak or work in accordance with one’s needs. It is a metaphor for a conscious personal and collective self-isolation and marginalization.

Restart is a film abot persistence, enormous physical efforts, but also about Darko Babic’s decision to search for his inner self in a most sincere and honest way possible and start a new chapter both of his artistic creation and his life as well. Restart is a story about finding a new meaning in life and fresh motivation through communicating in the language of visual arts with the children and young people with different disorders. It is about their synergy and mutual exposure in public; about breaking down the barriers of prejudices and regaing dignity; about the force of pure emotions only children are capable of, being direct and open to experiment; about friendship and love, and importance of the goal we tend to achieve and each and every step we therefore need to take.