A Parked Life

A Parked Life (2022) is an intimate portrait of Petar Doychev, one of the hundreds of thousands of Eastern European truck drivers that work in the west. For many weeks in a row he lives in the cabin of his truck, far away from home and family.

Money is the main reason to do this work. It can give his child a future. But as weeks and months go by, Petar feels his dreams slipping through his fingers. The world of highways, industrial zones and parking lots is a hard place to stay sane. Distance and time make his marriage crumble, to the point that he is about to lose all contact with his son.

Parked Life offers a majestic view on the European continent, from the simmering deserts of Spain to the frozen North of Norway. At the same time it offers a delicate observation of a man who feels disconnected, and lost in this world. Lots of time to think. Lots of money. Little he can do. Does the highway lead him to a better life? Or is it a road to nowhere?