Cruel Joys

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.

Director: Juraj Nvota

Cast: Tatiana Pauhofová, Ondřej Vetchý, Milan Mikulčík, Anna Šišková, Július Satinský, Csongor Kassai, Lukáš Latinák, Ady Hajdu

Audience-only score — full critic data not yet in the ReelXO vault.