Old-Timers

It’s the early 1990s and 13-year-old Valerie, a gifted novice singer, is given the chance to become a member of a world-famous girls’ choir, taking her place alongside her older sister and her other rivals in the ensemble. Everything points to the fact that Valerie’s exceptional talent has caught the attention of the formidable and much admired choirmaster. This highly anticipated psychological drama calls to mind not only the notorious case of Bambini di Praga, but also other devastating situations involving the clash of innocence and abusive authority.

Do the Sudeten Germans who were tortured and killed during their expulsion at the end of the war deserve a monument or not? This Czech documentary shows that this is more than an intellectual question but a political struggle. In response to a stone monument to the victims of the expulsion in Nový Bor, a group of local inhabitants has unleashed a hate-filled ritual dance of national fervor and moral outrage that turns out to be a sufficiently strong election issue as well.

After her father's wedding, Tereza travels to her grandmother's house with her boyfriend and sister. Their mother takes care of their grandmother and the house. Tereza feels that everything in the house has been left to its own devices, just like her grandmother, who is losing touch with reality due to a lack of attention. Unfortunately for everyone involved and the whole family, Tereza decides to stay in the house and take care of the repairs. But not everything needs a breath of fresh air and repair, and without realizing it, she cleans up much more than just dusty cobwebs in the family.

First World Problems. The worries of living in a rich, industrialized society that third worlders would just roll their eyes at.