This poetic retro film is the debut feature for Slovak theater director, actor, and documentarist Juraj Nvota. The simple tale is set in a small Slovak town in 1933. Czech notary public Karel enjoys life – that is until his 16-year-old daughter Valentína arrives in town, a girl he’s never seen. Karel is not interested in upsetting the local community, his complicated love affairs, or his career, so he convinces a friend, the timid elementary school principal Martin, to pretend that the girl is his niece. An assistant teacher named Lajos soon befriends Valentína, but Martin maintains his distance from his friend’s daughter. Martin is in love with Helena, unaware that she is Karel’s lover. But Ivona is also Karel’s lover, a woman soon to inherit a count’s fortune. Meanwhile, Valentína simply longs for her father’s recognition…

Cast / Anna Šišková , Ondřej Vetchý , Milan Mikulčík , Július Satinský , Ady Hajdu , Tatiana Pauhofová , Csongor Kassai    Writer / Scarlett Čanákyová , Juraj Nvota    DoP / Jan Malíř    Editor / Alois Fišárek    Sound / Igor Vrabec    Music / Ľubica Malachovská Čekovská    Costumes / Mona Hafsahl    Set Designer / Peter Čanecký

Release date / 13 February 2003

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