Nightsiren / Svetlonoc
Slovakia, Czech Republic 2022
Directed by Tereza Nvotová, drama, mystery, 109 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Barbora Námerová, Tereza Nvotová
With Natalia Germani, Eva Mores, Juliána Brutovská, Iva Bittova, Jana Olhova, Marek Geisberg
In a remote Slovak mountain village, two sisters grow up at the mercy of their abusive mother. A terrible accident happens when the eldest, Šarlota, escapes into the woods, followed by her sister Tamara. Otyla, a Roma woman living outside the village, is blamed for the girls’ disappearance and accused of witchcraft. Twenty years later, Šarlota unexpectedly shows up in the village. As she digs into her past, the locals grow suspicious. Only a young and eccentric herbalist, Mira, is willing to befriend her. When the animals in the village start to fall ill, the locals accuse Šarlota of conjuring Otyla’s spirit…
This stylish ethno-folk drama with visually breath-taking sequences and almost horror-like elements combines naturalism and magical realism to explore the topics of gender equality, sexual empowerment, and deconstruction of misogynistic customs and stereotypes in the village microcosm. The film won the Pardo d’oro in the Cineasti del presente competition at this year’s Locarno Film Festival.
Awards:
Locarno FF 2022 (Pardo d’oro Cineasti del presente)
With the support of the association Slovaks in Luxembourg