Directed by Věra Chytilová • 1963 • Czechoslovakia

The debut feature from Věra Chytilová interweaves two stories simultaneously: one a narrative about a frustrated mother (Vera Uzelacová) discontented with the drudgery of housework, the other a quasi documentary about a gymnast (real-life Olympic gold medalist Eva Bosáková) training for a final competition before she retires. Taken together, they form a piercing portrait of women’s experiences in 1960s Czechoslovakia and a daring first expression of the feminist themes Chytilová would explore in subsequent works like DAISIES.