Marek Epstein

Vaclav, the village loser, in his 40's bordering on autism, lives with his widowed mother on the outskirts of the village. He is seen by villagers as the local fool, nothing but a constant pain for them, but there is a skeleton in the village closet concerning his father's death. He gets no mercy from his brother Frantisek either. The two forever compete for the attention of their mother, and now even for Frantisek's mistress Lida... (imdb)

16 year old Ryna is the daughter of a poor Romanian who runs a gas station in a small community in the Danube delta. Ryna has been brought up like a boy because her father had longed for a son. The film is about strong family ties, about a daughter's search for her mother, and about a despotic father slowly losing his grip. But, it is also about poverty, social suppression and the abuse of power by those who rule under the guise of a false freedom. Ryna shows the awakening of a young girl's soul (imdb)

In the former Czechoslovakia, 1950s, police captain Hakl investigates a jewelery robbery. An opened safe deposit leads to a known burglar. What seems an easy case soon starts to tangle. When he is called off the case, he continues on his own. The investigation leads him onto thin ice. Can he beat a stronger enemy and save his family and his own life?

The breathtaking story of a man gifted with exceptional abilities set against the background of the events of the totalitarian fifties. (imdb)