Seventh grade is a war zone and Jana brought a library card to a knife fight.
Winning the affection of classmates can sometimes be a lot of work... A new student, Jana, arrives in the seventh grade of a Prague school. She is a clear top student when it comes to the subject matter, but otherwise she is impractical, clumsy, and completely inept at physical education. That's why she gets the nickname "The Weenie" and the class distances itself from her and even persecutes her with various cruelties. František and Růžena, children of scientists who have ideal parents, try to help Jana, but when Jana reveals how she broke the window and that Růžena encouraged her to deny it, Růžena also hardens against her. In the end, however, the children understand Jana and accept her among them...
Acting
Child performances that feel devastatingly authentic, not precocious.
Direction
Janečková captures playground politics with documentary-like precision.
Director
Vlasta Janečková
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Padavka was produced during Czechoslovakia's Normalization period, when state-approved films had to balance social criticism with ultimate ideological optimism—hence the mandated redemption arc.
Director Vlasta Janečková was one of few women directing feature films in Eastern Bloc cinema; she specialized in stories about young people navigating oppressive social systems.
XC
