10 Best Czech Movies to Watch First

10 Essential Czech Films

Ranked native cinema in Czech Republic’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. Kolya

   Kolja · 1996

   A confirmed bachelor and struggling Prague cellist who marries a Russian woman for money finds himself unexpectedly saddled with her small son when she emigrates, and the two — sharing no common language — slowly become a family. A tender, Oscar-winning comedy set on the eve of 1989.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: After a fictitious marriage with a Russian emigrant, Cellisten Louka, a Czech man, must suddenly take responsibility for her son. However, it’s not long before the communication barrier is broken between the two new family members.

2. 

   2. The Painted Bird

   Nabarvené ptáče · 2019

   Orphaned and adrift, a young Jewish boy wanders the countryside of war-torn Eastern Europe during World War II, passing from one brutal household to the next as he struggles simply to survive. A stark, unflinching black-and-white epic.

3. 

   3. Divided We Fall

   Musíme si pomáhat · 2000

   In a Czech town under Nazi occupation, a childless couple takes the enormous risk of hiding a Jewish man in their pantry, a secret that forces them into ever more desperate deceptions with a collaborating neighbor. A humane, darkly comic drama.

4. 

   4. I Served the King of England

   Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále · 2006

   A clever, ambitious young waiter in interwar Czechoslovakia schemes and charms his way up the ranks of grand hotels, dreaming of becoming a millionaire, even as history sweeps his fortunes toward the absurd. Jiří Menzel's lush, wry tragicomedy.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: Jiri Menzel's Czech-language adaptation of Bohumil Hrabal.

5. 

   5. Dark Blue World

   Tmavomodrý svět · 2001

   When Nazi Germany occupies Czechoslovakia, two Czech pilots — a seasoned flier and his eager young protégé — escape to fly for Britain's RAF, where their friendship is strained by their love for the same woman. A sweeping wartime romance.

6. 

   6. Lunacy

   Šílení · 2005

   A troubled young man falls under the sway of a sinister marquis who lures him into an asylum for a bizarre course of preventive therapy, where nothing and no one is what it seems. Jan Švankmajer's grotesque, surreal horror inspired by Poe and Sade.

7. 

   7. Something like Happiness

   Štěstí · 2005

   Over the course of a year in a bleak, industrialized Czech town, two childhood friends orbit each other, glimpsing the tender life they might build together if only they could find the courage. A quietly affecting drama.

8. 

   8. Closely Watched Trains

   Ostře sledované vlaky · 1966

   At a sleepy provincial railway station in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, a bashful young apprentice frets over his lack of romantic experience even as the war and the resistance draw closer. Jiří Menzel's tender, Oscar-winning New Wave comedy.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: A Czech Republic feature retained for Policy-v7 quality, contribution, and subject-integrity comparison.

9. 

   9. The Firemen's Ball

   Hoří, má panenko · 1967

   At the annual ball of a small-town volunteer fire brigade, a beauty contest, a raffle, and a tribute to the retiring chief all descend into gentle chaos. Miloš Forman's beloved satire, a sly parable of bungling authority.

   Why & details

   Curator’s note: Milos Forman's Czech-language Czechoslovak New Wave satire.

10. 

    10. Daisies

    Sedmikrásky · 1966

    Two bored young women, both named Marie, decide that since the world is spoiled they may as well be spoiled too, launching into a giddy, anarchic spree of pranks and destruction. Věra Chytilová's exuberant, subversive New Wave landmark.

    Why & details

    Curator’s note: Vera Chytilova's Czech-language avant-garde feminist landmark.