This film is currently unavailable
Ecce Homo Homolka
Razor-sharp, darkly comic portrait of one ordinary Sunday gone spectacularly wrong.
Director: Jaroslav Papousek
Overview
Often considered the final film of the Czechoslovak New Wave, Ecce Homo Homolka—sometimes called A Report on the State of the Family—is a razor-sharp, darkly comic portrait of one ordinary Sunday gone spectacularly wrong.
Three generations of the Homolka family begin the day with an idyllic picnic in a forest outside Prague, where grandparents relax, twin boys splash in the river, and Heduš, Ludva’s quietly desperate wife, dances among the trees. A woman’s sudden cry shatters the idyll, leaving the family alone with their illusions. Back in their cramped Prague flat, the day unravels: horse races, football, drink, and small domestic humiliations—burnt steaks, a broken TV, marital confessions—ignite simmering tensions. The chaotic day culminates in a grotesque, unforgettable living room dance to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, where forced cheer masks underlying bitterness. Directed with unsparing wit by Jaroslav Papoušek, who alongside Forman and Passer shaped the New Wave, the film brilliantly captures the absurdities, frustrations, and materialist preoccupations of 1960s Czech family life.
Part of the 29th Made in Prague Festival, 31 October – 30 November 2025.
Related
20th Century Women 20th Century Women
Drama 2016 118 mins Director: Mike Mills
Annette Bening stars as a mum enlisting two friends (Greta Gerwig and Elle Fanning) to help her son navigate adolescence in Mike Mills’s comedy-drama.
The Ice Storm The Ice Storm
Comedy 1997 113 mins Director: Ang Lee
An impressive ensemble cast populate Ang Lee’s riveting portrait of family life in 1970s America.
Chicken Town Chicken Town
Comedy 2025 90 mins Director: Richard Bracewell
Two old schoolfriends join forces with an elderly neighbour to fence a shed full of weed, in this sprightly, easy-going British comedy.
Parasite Parasite
Drama 2019 132 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon Ho's Oscar®-winning box-office sensation is a darkly comic, twisty rollercoaster ride.
Sister Midnight Sister Midnight
Comedy 2024 107 mins Director: Karan Kandhari
A genre-bending comedy about a frustrated and misanthropic newlywed who discovers certain feral impulses that land her in unlikely situations.
Holy Cow Holy Cow
Comedy 2024 92 mins Director: Louise Courvoisier
In the heart of the French Alps, a wayward teen finds his purpose in cheese – and discovers that maturity isn’t just for Comté.
Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth
Period drama 2017 89 mins Director: William Oldroyd
Florence Pugh shines in this exceptional British debut of a young wife's need for freedom, whatever the cost.
The Falling The Falling
Drama 2015 102 mins Director: Carol Morley
Florence Pugh's first film teams her with Maisie Williams as teenage friends at a school cursed by mystery sickness.
Mother Mother
Thriller 2009 129 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Acclaimed Korean actor Kim Hye-ja is outstanding as a mother who will do anything to protect her son, in Bong Joon Ho’s fourth feature.
Parasite Parasite
Drama 2019 132 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon Ho's Oscar®-winning box-office sensation is a darkly comic, twisty rollercoaster ride.
Memories of Murder Memories of Murder
Detective drama 2003 131 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
A pair of detectives clash trying to solve the brutal murders of two women, in Bong Joon Ho’s masterful blend of true crime and dark social satire.
Paradise Lost? Paradise Lost?
Drama 2015 9 mins Director: Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s extraordinary interpretation of John Milton’s classic tale, starring Florence Pugh.
20th Century Women 20th Century Women
Drama 2016 118 mins Director: Mike Mills
Annette Bening stars as a mum enlisting two friends (Greta Gerwig and Elle Fanning) to help her son navigate adolescence in Mike Mills’s comedy-drama.
Stan & Ollie Stan & Ollie
Biopic 2019 98 mins Director: Jon S. Baird
Steve Coogan and John C Reilly give delightful performances as Laurel & Hardy - comedy’s most famous double act - as they enter their twilight years.
Urchin Urchin
Drama 2025 99 mins Director: Harris Dickinson
The debut feature from actor Harris Dickinson sees a homeless addict get a shot at recovery and redemption.
Malpertuis Malpertuis
Fantasy 1971 125 mins Director: Harry Kümel
Orson Welles stars in this labyrinthine mythological fantasy set in a baroque mansion, from the director of Daughters of Darkness.
Daughters of Darkness Daughters of Darkness
Horror 1970 100 mins Director: Harry Kümel
A newlywed couple is entangled by the spellbinding aura of a vampire in Harry Kümel’s seductive horror.
Godland Godland
Drama 2022 143 mins Director: Hlynur Pálmason
Breathtakingly inventive and ambitious historical epic about a young Danish priest travelling to a remote Icelandic outpost to establish a church.