Kalamita (Calamity). 1982. Czechoslovakia. Directed by Věra Chytilová. Screenplay by Chytilová, Josef Šilhavý. With Boleslav Polívka, Dagmar Bláhová, Jana Synková. North American premiere. Courtesy Janus Films. In Czech; English subtitles. 101 min.
Věra Chytilová, the most prominent female director of the Czechoslovak New Wave and one of its most uncompromising voices, crafts a biting social satire about a shaggy, idealistic young man who quits university to become a train engineer in a small mountain town. As played in a star-making performance by the brilliant mime Boleslav Polívka, Honza embarks on a search for authenticity that brings him into head-on conflict with small-town hypocrisy, bureaucratic absurdity, and romantic entanglements with three very different women. When his train becomes trapped in an avalanche, the physical calamity mirrors the moral chaos within. Shot under difficult conditions with frequent interference from Communist authorities, the film showcases Chytilová’s signature blend of formal experimentation, absurdist slapstick, and sharp social commentary.
4K digital restoration carried out by Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in collaboration with the Národní filmový archiv, Prague and the Czech Film Fund in UPP and Soundsquare, with funding by Mrs. Milada Kučerová and Mr. Eduard Kučera.