A man leaves his busy city life for the peace of the country home where he spent his early childhood. His new life is soon disturbed by strange events.
Direction
Herz's final film — masterclass in disorienting spatial logic.
Cinematography
The house breathes; rooms shift when you're not looking.
Acting
Franěk's unraveling is so physical it hurts to watch.
Director
Juraj Herz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Herz was 76 and in poor health during filming; he died in 2018, making this his swan song after 50+ years including the cult classic The Cremator.
The film deliberately mirrors post-communist Czech anxieties — the 'return to the village' genre inverted as trap rather than healing, with Bouchal's false hospitality echoing bureaucratic gaslighting of the era.
CZ
