In the aftermath of World War II, a band of Ukrainian anti-Soviet guerillas take a Czech farming family hostage while one of their number awaits medical treatment. Vláčil’s allegory for life under occupation – written by future politician and key figure of the Velvet Revolution Jiří Křižan – focuses on the minutiae of daily existence, allowing an atmosphere of dread to develop through the combination of sparse dialogue, elegant pacing and Zdeněk Liška’s striking music. Winner of Best Film at the 1978 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

4K DCP courtesy of the National Film Archive in Prague.