Protektor

Set during the late 1930s and the Nazi occupation of the current Czech Republic (the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia) during the Second World War, Marek Najbrt’s new film focuses on the marriage of radio journalist Emil (Marek Daniel) and his part-Jewish wife Hana (Jana Plodková), a famous film star of the 1930s. Initially oblivious to the Nazi threat, she is at first ‘protected’ as her husband is encouraged to collaborate with the new Nazi-controlled broadcasting system. Conditions worsen as the restrictions on Jews are systematically increased, with Hana finally destined for a concentration camp. By then, Emil has become the ‘voice’ of the regime and their final drama is enacted against a background of the assassination of Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich by Czech parachutists. While the story of the assassination has been told many times, Najbrt’s unusual focus on the role of the media provides a fresh approach, considerably enhanced by the film’s ‘retro’ style, its evocation of 1930s cinema, and the creative art direction of Ondrej Nekvasil. With his second feature, Najbrt (who made the very different Champions) confirms his position as one of the most talented of young Czech directors. —BFI