Cruel Joys

Colour, 35 mm
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2002, 104 min
Section: Official selection
Oficiální stránky: www.kruteradosti.sk

Synopsis

This gentle story of temptation, secrets and helplessness brought on by the search for love begins in the fall of 1933 when the superficial calm in a small idyllic Slovak town is disturbed by the arrival of a taciturn girl named Valentina. She’s the forgotten illegitimate daughter of the suave notary Karel, the only relative the girl can turn to after the death of her mother. But the selfish man refuses to complicate a bachelor lifestyle spiced up by a relationship with the emancipated Helena. He therefore asks his friend Martin – the principal of the local boys’ school – to look after his unwanted daughter. Out of compassion for the poor girl, Martin gives her a place to stay, claiming she’s his niece. Martin, Karel and another friend – the physician Gabriel – have no inkling that this shy, skinny creature on the threshold of womanhood will soon change their lives. While they variously try to figure out whether to behave towards Valentina in a fatherly or admiring lover fashion, under their influence the girl transforms into a graceful young woman who quickly comes to know what she does and doesn’t want. This story of emotional searching unfolds in a poetic dimension allowing for dreams and desires, a search by adult men and women, who only realize the true meaning of responsibility after encountering a charming intruder....

About the director

Juraj Nvota (b. 1954, Bratislava) is an experienced theatre and television actor and director who decided to debut in film only after finding a mature filmmaking approach to the given material: a script by debut screenwriter Scarlett Čanakyová (b. 1970). Nvota graduated in theatre direction from the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Bratislava, and enjoyed success at the Theatre for Children and Young People in Trnava and then at the Astorka-Korzo ‘90 theatre. He has also made guest appearances at Prague’s Studio Ypsilon. He created a name for himself as an actor in Rose Tinted Dreams (1976), and also appeared in Quiet Happiness and Everything I Like. He has directed both documentaries (e.g. Painter of Montana, awarded the Trenčín Mayor’s Prize at the 8th Art Film in Trenčianské Teplice in 2000) and television productions, the latter awarded the 1989 Slovak Literary Fund Prize for direction, and Best Director at the Serbian International Television Festival in 1998. Cruel Joys is the director´s feature debut.