Word

Winner of the Best Director and Best Actor prizes at the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival earlier this year, Beata Parkanová’s vivid period piece, set in 1968, focuses on Václav Vojíř (Martin Finger, mesmerizing), a respected small-town notary, and his family. Known for his integrity, Václav is being subtly pressured by the Communist authorities to join the party, or, at the very least, sign a paper of support. But he and his long-suffering but equally principled wife, Vĕra (Gabriela Mikulková, also very good), refuse to bow down. Then the Russians invade, Václav sinks into a profound depression, and Vĕra must cope… Using Václav and Vĕra’s relationship as a microcosm for society, Parkanová, together with her excellent cinematographer Tomáš Juríček and fabulous production designer Jan Vlček, creates an intimate family drama about the power of an ethical worldview to get one through the darkest of times.