'We Have Never Been Modern' Review: Eliška Křenková Shatters In Subversive Period Film | KVIFF 2023
Period films are often limited by narrative as directors and writers struggle under the weight of history. There is also the case of films that radically revise history by imagining worlds that might have been. We Were Never Modern ( Úsvit ) by Matej Chlupaček falls somewhere in between, offering a fictional story with contemporary concerns that still accurately reflects the difficulties of its historical context.
The film takes place in 1937, long before Czechoslovakia was split between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Between the two major wars, the Eastern European country tried to modernize its internal structure in the hope that its industrial progress would ward off the threat of a communist revolution. That's why Helena ( Eliška Křenková ) and her husband, Alois ( Miloslav König ), move to Sweet in We Were Not Modern. In this rural area, Alois has set up a synthetic fabric factory and is now trying to buy the surrounding land to transform the green landscape into a concrete paradise.
His realization that "we have never been modern" has turned on him
From the outset, it is clearly never modern that we intended to explore the conflict between the ideals of progress and the supposed needs of nature. However, things take an unexpected turn when an intersex child is found dead on the factory premises. For Alois, the child is a monster of nature that can interfere with his business plans. For Helena, they symbolize that her pregnancy may be in jeopardy, as her child may also be born with what she perceives as a deformity. Before apaiser leurs inquietudes, les deux vont entamer une enquête approfondie sur l'affaire, Alois traquant les coupables qui veulent saboter son entreprise tandis qu'Helena cherche dans les Sciences medicales le soutien' a her child is in good health.
At first, neither Alois nor Helena cares for the boy, whose sexual status is less than human. However, as Helena gets to know the hermaphrodite more, she slowly grows more sympathetic to those involved. As a crime story , We Were Never Modern revolves around Helena's investigation as she searches for the truth about her son and his mysterious mother. Along the way, she has to face gender-based violence from intersex people, which she understands better than her husband because her role as a woman in society is also conditioned by external expectations. It's a bold take on the history of the first half of the 20th century, but Chlupacek knows it all too well. While we're never concerned with the transformational process of CZ's creation, the film aims to reveal how our hopes for progress haven't helped us overcome preconceptions about gender identity.
All of this reveals how more understanding people can misunderstand intersex people. As a woman of science, Helena wants to know what causes a baby to be born without the genitalia that place it in one gender. As such, he devours medical books filled with illustrations of dead hermaphrodites, hoping that the truth about nature can combat the hatred that comes from tradition.
"We have never been modern," they explain the chaos of humanity
In the film, Helen's explorations devolve into awkward animated scenes focused on genitalia shape, accompanied by a narrator who reiterates a formal biological approach to gender identity. While these scenes may surprise even the most astute viewer, they are central to the film's message, "How We've Never Been Modern." It also explains how rigorous scientific inquiry can only take us so far when it comes to the intricacies of the human mind. . While it's commendable that Helena is trying to figure this out, she can see very little through the prism of reproductive biology. After all, the human mind is too complex for a person to transfer his identity to his genitals. In fact, as a pregnant woman, Helena also struggles to recognize her worth beyond biological imperatives.
It's admirable that we have a hero who can be flawed, because Helen's journey also invites the audience to reflect on their own worldview and understand how even the most distant person can ignore a reality they don't know. . Furthermore, Miro Evra's screenplay is willing to admit that people are messy, and that good intentions can also harm those we believe are protecting them from a hostile world. We Are Never Modern is also brave in not putting itself or any of its characters on a moral pedestal, and it steers clear of the accusatory tone of so many films dealing with complex social issues. On the contrary, it is Willing to admit that ignorance is part of the human experience and that most of us do our best, even if we often fail. We're never modern, really, because humanity's journey on earth is never over, and we're constantly trying to overcome the same problems we've faced throughout history.
Had Never Never Modern been made in Hollywood, Krenkova would have been nominated for an Oscar for her passionate portrayal of Helena. Chlupacek knows that the character should be at the center of a film focused on the human experience, which is why the director gives Krenkova so much room to shine. And she shines. Krenkova displays an impressive range as an actress, guiding Helena through the maelstrom of emotions she will plunge into with We've Never Been Modern . It's an emotional performance that helps set the tone for each scene, making us laugh at Helen's lively jokes or choke up at the desperate look in her piercing eyes. One review is not enough to judge its performance , and we have never been as modern as it deserves.
Classification: a
We Were Never Modern will have its world premiere at the 2023 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
