Widely considered a breakthrough in feminist filmmaking, this whirlwind Czechoslovak classic is screening at the Institute of Modern Art to complement current exhibition Confronting Femininity, curated by Sal Edwards and Robert Leonard.

The grotesque moral Daisies (1966) is a highlight of Czech filmmaker Vera Chytilová‘s filmography.

Not arising from concrete socio-political realities, the surrealistic narrative follows a pair of young women who decide to be as corrupt as the world around them. The film is timeless in its biting account of conformity, petty-bourgeois narrow-mindedness, and the limits of light-heartedness.

Daisies marked the beginning of Chytilová‘s collaboration with Ester Krumbachová, who contributed to the eccentric costumes and script. The collage-like visual component then gave a lot of space for experimentation to the cinematographer Jaroslav Kucera. It is still an original gem of Czech cinema of the 1960s, which infuriated the communist officials of the time.

Spaces are limited. Bookings recommended.

Duration: 74 minutes

Language: Czech with English subtitles