Year of the Widow

When interpreter Pavla answers the phone one day, she has no idea that she is about to hear news that will turn her life upside down. Her husband died suddenly and she is a widow. Pavla is subjected to a torrent of emotions, she has to be there for her teenage daughter and her mother-in-law, and on top of that, she must navigate an endless stream of administrative tasks... Veronika Lišková, an award-winning documentary director, and her co-writer, Eugen Liška, were inspired in their feature debut by the diary entries of Zuzana Pokorná. In them, she described the shock of losing a loved one and the exhausting struggle with bureaucracy that the bereaved often face. The director, together with Pavla Beretová in the lead role, sensitively, without pathos and clichés, show the heroine's inner world and together with her guide us through the different stages of mourning, which alternate against the backdrop of changing seasons and lead to final acceptance and inner transformation. (Finále Plzeň)