Cruel Joys (2002)

This simple story is the feature debut for well-known Slovak theater and television director Juraj Nvota. Set in a Slovak village at the turn of the last century, the story teems with passion, and repressed and hidden emotion. It delves into the search for identity, investigating both love and hatred, while dramatizing the tragic relationship between an adolescent girl (Tatiana Pauhofová) and her ambitious father (Ondrej Vetchý). Set against the striking though simple backdrop of a picturesque, even idyllic, landscape - one ostensibly cut off from any important historical, political, or social context whatsoever - the arrival of an unwanted individual evokes the onset of a cruel drama.

Released Oct. 3, 2002 104 min 7+

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Production Companies: ALEF Film & Media Group, Slovenská televízia, Total HelpArt T.H.A., Česká televize, UN Film

Country: Slovakia
Production Countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia
Languages: Slovak, Czech