Film Archive

Filthy

Czech Films 2016–2017 2017 / Špina / Czech Republic, Slovak Republic 2017

“Isn’t it partly her fault?” Variations on this dangerous question are put to the heroine of this drama, who has been raped by her teacher. Seventeen-year-old Lena ends up in a psychiatric hospital, but the insensitive staff cause her to withdraw into herself. Tereza Nvotová’s film tells us there are some demons that can’t just be shaken off.

Synopsis

She’s dredging it up now? Isn’t she partly to blame anyway? And why didn’t she cry out at the time? Real rape victims have to face similar dangerous questions, as does the heroine of this feature film debut by director Tereza Nvotová. Seventeen-year-old Lena’s carefree world comes crashing down when she is raped at home by her maths teacher. The attacker calmly walks away, but Lena ends up in a psychiatric hospital. But even there she can’t bring herself to tell anyone what happened to her, since it doesn’t appear the staff are prepared to combat secondary victimisation… Nvotová offers up a drama which clearly demonstrates that rape only marks the beginning of a series of distressing experiences, and brings to light an often marginalised problem exacerbated by inadequate professional help. The oppressive subject matter acquires form as an assured study of the main character and of those around her, their contours nuanced by Marek Dvořák’s camerawork and by Dominika Morávková, whose Lena comes to realise that only she can find the strength that lies within her.

Jan Škoda

About the film

88 min / Color, DCP

Director Tereza Nvotová / Screenplay Barbora Námerová / Dir. of Photography Marek Dvořák / Music Pjoni / Editor Jiří Brožek, Michal Lánský, Janka Vlčková / Art Director Andrijana Trpković / Producer Peter Badač / Production BFILM / Coproduction moloko film, FAMU, RTVS, Magiclab, Sleepwalker / Cast Dominika Morávková, Anna Rakovská, Róbert Jakab, Anna Šišková, Luboš Veselý, Patrik Holubář, Juliána Oľhová / Sales Film Republic / Contact BFILM / Distributor Falcon a.s.

About the director

Tereza Nvotová (b. 1988, Trnava, Czechoslovakia) grew up in Bratislava and currently lives in Prague. She gained her bachelor’s degree in the documentary film department of FAMU, where she is completing her final year in feature film direction. In association with HBO she shot the documentary Take It Jeasy! (2008), which screened at several festivals and was shown in Czech cinemas. She also filmed the documentaries TRANSit (2015) and A Year with Fulbright (2014). She works as a presenter and actor as well, appearing in Small Celebrations (2008), Marbles (2008) and 10 Rules (2014). Filthy is her feature film debut, first screened at the Rotterdam IFF.