03/09/2024 - VENICE 2024: Czech director Vojtěch Strakatý offers a refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre in his feature debut, depicting a young student's abrupt confrontation with adulthood

Emerging Czech director Vojtěch Strakatý revitalises the coming-of-age genre with his feature debut, After Party [+see also:
interview: Vojtěch Strakatý
film profile], premiered as an Orizzonti Extra title at Venice. Set over a sun-drenched 24-hour period, the film follows Jindřiška (Eliška Bašusová), a young student whose life is abruptly disrupted by her father's irresponsible financial decisions. What starts as a carefree story of youth, with Jindřiška returning from a party, swiftly transitions into a tense drama as she encounters repo men packing up her belongings.

Strakatý, previously known for his coming-of-age short film Stuck, adopts a more sophisticated visual style and nuanced narrative structure in his debut feature. His directorial approach blends realism with stylisation, capturing the chaotic, almost surreal experience of a young adult thrust into an intense crisis. Moving away from the gritty, social-realist tropes often associated with such narratives, Strakatý opts for a polished yet intimate exploration of innocent youth cut short as responsibility, survival and tough dilemmas come to the fore.

Jindřiška's world is turned upside down by the events taking place in her family’s upmarket home. While she grapples with the reality of the situation, her mother (Monika Zoubková) remains curiously stoic, even as she attempts to understand the full extent of her husband's (Jan Zadražil) actions and the severity of their predicament. Amidst the chaos, Jindřiška faces threats from loan sharks seeking repayment from her father, while her aunt, who is also owed a substantial sum by her father, shows little sympathy. As her life unravels, the protagonist finds support in her friend Karolína (Anna Perinová), who helps her smuggle the remaining furniture out of the house and provides emotional support. Karolína also serves as the voice of reason, cautioning against Jindřiška's inclination to put herself in more danger.

The director employs a dynamic and visually engaging style, enhanced by Stanislav Adam's (Blix Not Bombs [+see also:
film review
film profile]) cinematography, lending the film an almost deceptive lightness that contrasts with the gravity of the protagonist’s predicament. The minimalist, yet stylised, aesthetics work to create a sense of unease, highlighting the dissonance between the main character’s internal turmoil and the outwardly serene setting.

The narrative is tightly structured around the collapse of normality within a single day, a technique Strakatý uses to amplify the immediacy and intensity of Jindřiška's experience. The condensed timeline mirrors the rapid disintegration of her life as she confronts the consequences of her father's debts. By confining the events to a narrow temporal frame, the film cultivates a sense of urgency and claustrophobia, drawing the audience into Jindřiška's spiralling world, and allowing them to experience her confusion and desperation in real time.

Within this limited scope, Strakatý expands the coming-of-age genre through varied genre-blending. After Party incorporates thriller elements as Jindřiška races against the clock to find a solution, pressured by both loan sharks and her father. The dynamic with Karolína introduces aspects of a buddy film, while the act of reclaiming her furniture adds a touch of heist. The movie also weaves in family drama and a nuanced summer romance. This genre-morphing aspect of After Party broadens its appeal, offering a more engaging and audience-orientated proposition.

After Party was produced by Czech outfit Xova Film. Its international rights are managed by Film Republic.