Film Archive

When the War Comes

Czech Films 2017–2018 2018 / Až přijde válka / Czech Republic, Croatia 2018

“We’ll become legends of our time,” states one of the members of the Slovak Recruits paramilitary group, which puts young people through inhumane drills and aims to “defend and preserve the nation”. Jan Gebert’s documentary, screened at the Berlinale, observes a youngster with authoritarian inclinations, part of a growing nationalism in unexpected age groups.

Synopsis

“I guess I’m dominant. I like giving orders,” says student Petr at his graduation exam, giving a timid smile as he compares himself to a literary character. The reality is nevertheless somewhat different. Teenager Petr heads the Slovak Recruits paramilitary group, which endeavours to “defend and preserve the nation”. He trains other young men out in the forest but, in Jan Gebert’s documentary, this “playing at soldiers” is chilling and more reminiscent of a humiliating drill. Petr’s ambitions, however, go beyond disciplining his contemporaries. The desire of irate young men to take things firmly into their own hands helps to illustrate a social atmosphere in which success comes to leaders who inveigh against artificially created enemies – under the pretext of protecting traditional values. The film was screened in the Panorama section at this year’s Berlinale.

Jan Škoda

About the film

76 min / Color, DCP

Director Jan Gebert / Screenplay Jan Gebert / Dir. of Photography Lukáš Milota / Music Johny Poupě / Editor Jana Vlčková / Producer Radovan Síbrt / Production PINK / Coproduction HBO Europe, Hulahop / Sales CAT&Docs / Contact HBO Europe
www: www.whenthewarcomes.cz

About the director

Jan Gebert (b. 1981, Prague). Filmography: Stone Games (2012, medium-length doc.), Auction (2013, short doc.), When the War Comes (2018, doc.)