15/11/2024 - Petr Kazda and Tomáš Weinreb follow up their breakthrough debut I, Olga Hepnarová with an intimate psychological drama tackling a taboo issue

Nobody Likes Me [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the second feature from writing-directing duo Tomáš Weinreb and Petr Kazda, already behind the award-winning drama I, Olga Hepnarová [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Tomáš Weinreb, Petr Kazda
film profile], has premiered in the Critics' Picks Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. The team's sophomore effort, a spiritual sequel to their breakthrough debut, similarly centres on a marginalised protagonist navigating life outside societal norms.

Nobody Likes Me follows Sára (Rebeka Poláková), a young secretary working at an army headquarters. Unlike I, Olga Hepnarová, which explored external forces shaping its eponymous lead character, Sára’s story turns inward, portraying her solitude and quiet observations of the world around her. She maintains a closer relationship with her soft-spoken father (Miroslav Hanuš) than with her domineering mother (Barbora Bobuľová), both of whom have moved on to new partners. Her monotonous life takes an unexpected turn when she meets the enigmatic Martin (Mantas Zemleckas), with whom she eventually forms a bond.

Like the filmmakers' previous work, Nobody Likes Me is a psychological drama, but this time, identity, gender, and societal norms take centre stage within the context of the Sára-Martin relationship, and outside the tropes of a conventional romantic film. When Sára seeks to deepen their connection on a physical level, Martin’s secret—his anatomy lies outside the binary of male and female—is revealed. Sára initially embraces this discovery, and together they attempt to build a shared life. However, social judgement and intolerance soon intrude, challenging their bond and exposing the limits of acceptance with the majority of society.

In a departure from the monochromatic austerity of their debut, Nobody Likes Me is shot in colour on Super 16 film by Slovak cinematographer Juraj Chlpík, who lensed Ivan Ostrochovský's Servants [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Ostrochovský
film profile]. The directors maintain their characteristic storytelling restraint, relying on minimal dialogue and allowing imagery and performances to drive the story. Chlpík's use of static shots and carefully stylised mise-en-scène imbues the film with a painterly quality. The muted colour palette and art direction evoke a timeless aesthetic, with noir-ish undertones and compositions reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s works.

Nobody Likes Me unfolds like a slow-burning drama, its deliberate pacing marked by lingering shots of faces and silences. Much of the emotional tension is internalised, broken only by the disruptive presence of Sára's mother, whose volatile behaviour contrasts sharply with the film’s otherwise contemplative rhythm. Weinreb and Kazda explore themes of corporeality and intimacy, examining identity as a social construct. 

While the story remains intimate, focusing on Sára and Martin's relationship, the film also weaves in broader social commentary through depictions of Sára’s dysfunctional family and interactions with her workplace colleagues. Nobody Likes Me confirms Weinreb and Kazda's continued interest in probing the intersection of personal and social struggles through the perspective of somebody perceived as a social pariah. The directors tackle the rather taboo topic of intersexuality against the backdrop of identity, relationship and social conformity while evolving their cinematic style.

Nobody Likes Me was produced by Black Balance and love.FRAME and co-produced by Arytmia, Czech Television and Arizona Productions. MMM Film Sales handles the international rights.