Slovak director Tereza Nuvotova didn’t want to create a “father.”
“To be honest, I thought, “I can’t. I don’t know how.” These kinds of films can be very heavy – you feel like you’re sinking, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this story either. ”
In the Venice horizon drama sold by Intramovis, a horrifying mistake destroys his father’s life, threatens his career, marriage, and even his sanity. Dušan Budzak, co-writer of Nvotová, is based on the ordeal of his own best friend.
“My mind kept going back to the day when this happened to him. It was a kind of boring day. The kind of thing we always have. And everything changed and he was crushed. I realized that it wasn’t just a horrible story.
However, “father” is not based on only one case.
“I continued reading about it, that ‘forgotten baby syndrome.’ Hundreds of cases each year, hundreds of cases worldwide,” she explains.
“We had that personal connection for Dushan, but then we left. All of these stories were very similar. Most of the time, it happens to very loving parents. To all the old, young people, it comes from all social classes. If you want to simplify it, I say it’s a memory failure.
She adds: “This year I have already heard of three new cases.
Thinking about Gas Vincent’s “elephant,” inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, Nvotová began to look for the right way to approach difficult topics. In favor of the long take, she decided to be too unexplicit.
“Encouraging people to come to the cinemas is one of the biggest challenges of this film. You can’t lie to them. But I didn’t make this film feel bad for anyone, and hopefully, there’s also some kind of compassion.
“When it happened to Dushan’s friend in 2015, society was very quick to judge him. They called him a murderer, a ‘bad father’. But that’s not really the case. ”
The same can be said about her main character, Mikal. He was joined by Dominican Moravkova and Anna Geislerova.
“We see other people and feel very just and think, ‘There must have been something wrong with them.’ “We like to think that if we always do the right thing, bad things will never come our way. But he is a good dad and that’s what I want to say. This happens to good people. ”
Focusing on men experiencing unimaginable sadness was interesting for Nvotová, who previously focused on women in “Night Shiren,” a Locarno award-winning “Dirty”.
“I didn’t think much about his gender – we happened to be inspired by a real-life father – but I was pleased to explore the spirit of men. Feminism is not very popular in my country.
“In our culture, men are not supposed to show emotion. They are taught and there is a very conservative society in Slovakia to always be strong.
While writing the script, she continued to cut his lines.
“He wouldn’t talk about these things unless he was questioned, like he was on trial. He said: ‘It makes no sense anymore.’ It’s very difficult for your whole world to be broken after something like this.
His tragedy will be revealed soon. However, Nvotová continued to peek behind closed doors.
“I was curious to see what would happen that first night when they finally head home without their daughter. They are emotionally naked so we can connect with these characters. How is he going to deal with this guilt?
“Father” is produced by Danae Productions (Slovakia), Moroko Films (Czech Republic), and Lava Films (Poland), the latter also lies behind the Oscar-nominated “The Girl of the Needle.”
“Thankfully, the European system is still working. Slovakia is a small country. We need a big festival like Venice. Otherwise the film will disappear. But as long as we can raise funds, intimate stories are what I want to do.
“Politically, Slovakia is not in a good place for now. The current government is breaking all the financial structures that allowed me to make films. I don’t know if I can continue,” she says.
“I am now filming “Our People,” a limited television series produced between the Czech Republic, Germany and France. However, they are planning their next film outside of Slovakia. ”
