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
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.
Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea
Comedy 1977 90 mins Director: Jindrich Polák
A deliciously demented Czech time-travel romp that's both hilariously silly and impressively ingenious.
Trees Lounge Trees Lounge
Comedy 1996 91 mins Director: Steve Buscemi
Venerable character actor Steve Buscemi steps behind the camera in this profound study of a lonely, alcoholic, and unemployed mechanic.
The Marching Band The Marching Band
Drama 2023 103 mins Director: Emmanuel Courcol
An acclaimed conductor strikes up a relationship with a brother he never knew he had in this touching French drama with echoes of Brassed Off.
La Belle et la Bête La Belle et la Bête
Fantasy 1946 95 mins Director: Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau’s ravishingly restored 1946 film is a cinematic classic.
The Lover The Lover
Drama 1992 115 mins Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Jean-Jacques Annaud's powerful, intimate, and sensual adaptation of the best-selling novel by Marguerite Duras.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Romance 2019 121 mins Director: Céline Sciamma
Céline Sciamma’s BAFTA-nominated film about the tentative love between a painter and her subject in 18th-century France.
The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo
Drama 2024 178 mins Director: Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière
This rollicking take on Dumas’ swashbuckler, packed with lavish spectacle and high-stakes drama, slayed all Hollywood films at the French box-office.
Red Angel Red Angel
Drama 1966 95 mins Director: Yasuzo Masumura
A potent and blood-soaked tale of saints and sinners set at the height of the Sino-Japanese war.
Breaking the Waves Breaking the Waves
Drama 1996 159 mins Director: Lars von Trier
A man is injured in an oil rig accident, leaving his wife wracked with guilt, willing to do anything to restore her marriage and relationship with God
Pharaoh Pharaoh
Historical drama 1965 146 mins Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Dazzling epic, in which the young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.
Desire: The Carl Craig Story Desire: The Carl Craig Story
Documentary 2024 91 mins Director: Jean-Cosme Delaloye
An intimate portrait of legendary techno producer, DJ and record label creator Carl Craig and an ode to his beloved city, Detroit.
Je t'aime, je t'aime Je t'aime, je t'aime
Drama 1968 95 mins Director: Alain Resnais
A mysterious time-travel experiment becomes a warped voyage through memory, in this mesmerising sci-fi from acclaimed director Alain Resnais.
La Reine Margot La Reine Margot
Historical drama 1994 158 mins Director: Patrice Chéreau
Sumptuous historical drama starring Isabelle Adjani and Daniel Auteuil; a thunderous yarn full of dastardly plots, familial hatred and perverse desire
Scrubbers Scrubbers
Drama 1982 93 mins Director: Mai Zetterling
1980s borstal drama – billed as the female Scum – featuring Amanda York and Kathy Burke as inmates in a ruthless women’s prison.
Mona Lisa Mona Lisa
Gangster 1986 100 mins Director: Neil Jordan
An ungainly cockney chauffeur navigates the seedy streets of London, gradually falling for the elegant and mysterious prostitute who is his passenger.