We Have Never Been Modern [screening]

We Have Never Been Modern / dir. Matěj Chlupáček / 2023 / historical crime drama / Czechia, Slovakia / Czech with English subtitles / 117 minutes

Set in a flourishing Baťa-style industrial town in the foothills of the Tatra Mountains, We Have Never Been Modern unfolds in 1937, at a moment when faith in progress seems unshakable. The local factory is run by a young, seemingly progressive director—but the film’s true protagonist is his wife Helena (Eliška Křenková), an aspiring doctor on the verge of giving birth.

Helena’s confident vision of a bright future is abruptly shaken by the discovery of a dead newborn intersex baby in the factory courtyard. Unconvinced by the authorities’ hasty explanation, and driven by empathy heightened by her own pregnancy, Helena begins to question not only the investigation, but the values the town claims to stand for. What follows is a gripping detective story that gradually reveals deep-seated prejudice, fear of difference, and the fragile foundations of a society built on ideals of order and progress.

Inspired by real events, We Have Never Been Modern offers a strikingly contemporary, deeply human perspective on a subject that was controversial on the eve of war—and remains so today. The film received multiple international awards and twelve Czech Lion nominations.

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Director: Matěj Chlupáček / Screenplay: Miro Šifra / Dir. of Photography: Martin Douba / Music: Simon Goff / Sound: Peter Hilčanský, Pavel Rejholec / Editor: Pavel Hrdlička / Producer: Maja Hamplová, Matěj Chlupáček / Production: BARLETTA

Cast: Eliška Křenková, Miloslav König, Milan Ondrík, Richard Langdon, Martha Issová, Luboš Veselý, Ladislav Hampl, Marián Mitaš

Matěj Chlupáček (b. 1994) is a Czech film director and producer and one of the most distinctive voices of contemporary Czech cinema. He made his feature debut Touchless at just eighteen and quickly established himself with bold, socially attuned storytelling.

His work spans both film and television, including the acclaimed series Rats, which won the Czech Lion Award and the Czech Film Critics’ Award, as well as The Daughter of a Nation. His second feature, We Have Never Been Modern (Úsvit), premiered in the Official Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and was also screened at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Chlupáček is a co-founder of the production company Barletta and collaborates regularly with international partners such as Netflix, HBO Max, Canal+, ZDF, and Czech Television.

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