A foundling raised in rye fields vs. the actual devil — Czech fairytales don't mess around.
A tale of a boy whose desire to correct human vices was stronger than the power of hell itself. Apolena, a herbalist, finds an abandoned newborn baby in a rye field. She names him Rye and raises him into a brave young man. Rye is recruited into the king's army and the king's evil advisor, Prince Neklan, orders him to collect taxes from his subjects. Rye learns first-hand how evil and unjust power can be and rebels against it. His sense of justice, joy of life and cleverness charm even Princess Adelka, but he also catches the eye of the devil Philistine, who would like to bring him to hell. So she disguises herself as the beautiful Marquise and tries to lure him to the benefits of evil: he will be rich and famous. But Rye cannot be lured. And so, in addition to Neklan, who is also trying to win Adelka, he must also fight against the power of hell itself.
Acting
Jiřina Bohdalová as Apolena — national treasure doing what she does best.
Production
Practical Czech countryside that looks like a storybook illustration.
Costume
Filištína's devil-drag as the Marquise is gloriously camp.
Director
Zdeněk Zelenka
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on classic Czech folktales, this continues a national tradition of morally complex children's stories where virtue is tested by genuine darkness, not sanitized Disney obstacles.
Zdeněk Zelenka has directed multiple Czech fairytale adaptations — this is his wheelhouse of combining theatrical morality with surprisingly cinematic rural landscapes.
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