Fateful Fortune

Grammar school teacher Jiří is distracted from his solitude and dull routine by an unexpected nocturnal visit from his beloved younger sister, Růžena, a former seamstress. She tells her brother that she has run away from her husband Fanda, a textile trader, as she can no longer stand his avarice and vulgarity. From his other sister, Tylda, however, Jiří later discovers that Růžena has been spending a lot of money and has left her husband for a captain of the dragoons. Růžena finds out that she is pregnant, but the captain jilts her on account of his forthcoming marriage. Disillusioned, she thinks her lies have turned her brother against her and she resolves to take desperate measures.... This elegant, sophisticated work by legendary Czech filmmaker Jiří Krejčík is appealing for its gentle humour but also for the empathy and affection it shows its characters. The ill-fated Růžena, in particular, is placed at the very heart of the film’s fragile spiritual composition. This picture was loosely based on Karel Čapek’s tale “Money” from the collection Money and Other Stories (1921). (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)