A young couple, Michal and Ruby, embark on a mysterious journey through Prague, a long-time centre of alchemy, in search of a mystic stone which once belonged to a well-known philosopher. Němec has always been preoccupied with the nature of history, observing its oppressive relationships with the current moment. Partly an occult quest, partly an archeological trip into the Europe of the 20th century, the film explores the past and present as highly volatile substances which are changing all the time, and mostly for the worse.
While Michal and Ruby discover ghosts of the Third Reich in contemporary as well as ancient Prague, the film moves towards an experimental, or alchemical, blend of documentary, archival material and fiction, becoming as multilayered, perplexing and dramatically dense as the history itself.
Film details
- Country of production
- Czech Republic
- Year
- 1996
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2017
- Length
- 80'
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
