A harrowing, yet beautiful take on patriarchy and internalised misogyny.
30 year-old-Šarlota returns to the mountain village she escaped from 20 years earlier following a tragic incident involving her sister. Taking up residence in the cabin she has inherited, Šarlota starts searching for answers regarding her troubled childhood. In her quest to uncover the truth she is confronted by the misogyny of superstitious villagers with only young herbalist Mira on her side. The tension grows, strange events and whispers of evil begin to invade reality leading the villagers to accuse Šarlota of witchcraft and murder. Striking cinematography with swirling mists and a mysterious forest links women and nature and delivers a haunting atmosphere filled with sense of isolation in this enignatic and beguiling drama which won the main prize at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival.
Dir. Tereza Nvotová, Slovakia, Czech Republic, 2022, 108’
Cast: Natalia Germani, Eva Mores, Juliana Brutovská, Marek Geisbgerg, Iva Bittová
Svetlonoc seeks to dispel outdated myths surrounding womanhood, drawing a line between ancient misogynist superstitions and their resurgence in the modern world.
Tereza Nvotová
The winner of the Golden Leopard at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival
Followed by Q&A with director Tereza Nvotová
Part of the 27th Made In Prague Festival (3rd November -10th December 2023) organized by the Czech Centre London.
