How to live on when all your loved ones have perished? When you are eighteen and alone in the world safe for a friend who suffers the same survivor’s guilt as you do? These unimaginable struggles are at the core of Moskalyk’s adaptation of the eponymous novella by Arnošt Lustig, a survivor himself. In interviews, the author often declared that it was his duty to live a full life in view of all the lives lost. Yet through his writing, he explored the darker sides of the psyche when guilt overpowers everything else.
Such is the story of Dita Saxová, which takes place in a boarding school for orphaned Jewish girls a few years after WWII. As Dita explores relationships with men, she listens to advice of her teachers and elders. Everyone is puzzled by this gorgeous young woman. Shot in the late 1960s when filmmakers in Czechoslovakia had the relative freedom to address even the darkest philosophical issues, this film marks the second collaboration between Moskalyk and Lustig. They co-wrote the screenplay for a TV adaptation of A Prayer for Kateřina Horovitzová before turning to the story of Dita, calling on the master of camera, Jaroslav Kučera, to lend his unique style to the B&W cinematography.
Irena Kovarova, photo by Ryuhei Shindo
Irena Kovarova is an independent film programmer and occasional writer, specializing in Czech, European, and independent cinema. Native of Prague, she’s lived in NYC since 1996. She curated and produced over a dozen touring retrospectives and many other repertory programs. In 2013 she founded Comeback Company. Apart from public events, she also collaborates on home video releases providing commentaries and essays on films made in Czechoslovakia prior to 1989.
The screening is part of a film series that features well-known and lesser-known films telling the stories of Czech and Slovak Jews in the turbulent 20th century. Each film will be introduced and discussed by a film historian or other relevant expert.
The film screening is free and open to the public. Suggested donation: $15. Seats are limited, on first-come, first-served basis. RSVP through Eventbrite.
The event is organized by the Society for the History of Czechoslovak Jews with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association.
