This Year in September

Summer is drawing to a close, and the relationship between young Hanka and student Pavel is just beginning. He is diffident and awkward, and the girl is only now learning to deal with her emotions. They have plenty of opportunity to get to know one another, but something always happens to put the damper on their efforts, making them increasingly distrustful of one another as their minds fill with doubt and jealousy. Like when Hanka misinterprets the innocent kiss Pavel receives from Olina, who sings in the jazz band where Pavel plays the piano. Fifty years on, the misunderstandings the couple experienced back then will seem amusing and possibly naïve yet, in its day, this film was one of the few titles where interest in real life issues took precedence over socialist realist schemes. The intimacy of the story, the jazz music, the unofficial exhibition of paintings by young artists in the basement – these were all bold innovations for the time, as was the endeavour to evoke an authentic atmosphere via a location shoot using a hidden camera and microphone. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)