Directed by Jan Schmidt • 1967 • Czechoslovakia

This lesser-known gem of the Czech New Wave is a post-apocalyptic parable about the fine line between civilisation and savagery. In the aftermath of nuclear war, a stern matriarchal figure (Beta Poničanová) leads a gang of younger women across a deserted landscape in search of supplies and human contact. When they stumble across another survivor, the conflict that emerges reveals the tension between the remnants of the old world and the amorality of the new. Director Jan Schmidt constructs a microcosm of society in the ruins that is both naturalistic and minimalist, aided by a sharply honed script from Pavel Juráček, the screenwriter behind Věra Chytilová’s iconic Daisies.

LATE AUGUST AT THE HOTEL OZONE • KONEC SRPNA V HOTELU OZON
Directed by Jan Schmidt
Written by Jan Schmidt and Pavel Juráček
Cinematography by Jiří Macák
Music by Jan Klusák
Starring: Ondrej Jariabek, Beta Poničanová, Magda Seidlerová

In Czech with English subtitles