Waves (Vlny) – 2025 Czech-Slovak Psychological Drama
Waves (Vlny) is a haunting, introspective Czech-Slovak psychological drama set against the isolated backdrop of a small lakeside town recovering from the shadows of its communist past. Directed by Tereza Nvotová (Filthy, The Lust for Power), the film uses water—both literal and metaphorical—as a symbol of buried truths, mental instability, and generational trauma.
The story centers on 17-year-old Klára (Natalia Germani), a gifted swimmer who has just returned home after being institutionalized for a mental health episode following her mother’s sudden death. Her father, a stern ex-navy officer, tries to restore order through discipline, while Klára struggles to re-enter school and society. She finds solace in the lake where she used to train, but strange visions and recurring flashbacks begin to blur her sense of reality.
As Klára starts hearing distorted radio signals from beneath the water and seeing apparitions of her mother, she becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about her family’s past. This includes a long-rumored connection between her father and the drowning of several protestors during the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Are the voices Klára hears figments of psychosis—or buried memories surfacing?
Thematically, Waves dives into the suppression of trauma—both personal and national. Klára’s mental health crisis mirrors her country's cultural repression, where uncomfortable truths were long silenced in favor of order. The lake, ever-present and mysterious, becomes a character in itself: calm on the surface but ominously deep.
Nvotová blends cinéma vérité techniques with dreamlike sequences, using long tracking shots and underwater cinematography to immerse viewers in Klára’s fragile psyche. Godár’s score, built from dissonant strings and aquatic reverb, intensifies the psychological atmosphere without ever overwhelming it.
The climax takes place during an abandoned midnight swimming competition where Klára, alone in the water, confronts her deepest hallucinations—and perhaps her most painful truths. What surfaces from the lake is not a monster, but a forgotten moment of her mother’s resistance—one that changes how Klára views both her past and her future.
✅ Quick Summary
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Waves (Vlny) |
| Release | Oct 11, 2025 (festival); Nov 1, 2025 (theatrical) |
| Genre | Psychological Drama / Mystery |
| Theme | Trauma, family secrets, post-communist silence |
| Mood | Dreamlike, melancholic, emotionally intense |
| Lead Star | Natalia Germani |
| Studio | Bontonfilm × Czech Television × Eurimages |
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