14/11/2024 - Filmmaker Veronika Lišková steps into fiction filmmaking, tracing the quiet yet resilient journey of a woman reshaping her life in the wake of unexpected loss

Year of the Widow, which had its French premiere at the 25th Arras Film Festival as part of its focus on the Czech Republic in the Eastern selection (the country is also at the centre of the Arras Days), marks Czech documentarist Veronika Lišková’s (Daniel's World [+see also:
trailer
interview: Veronika Lišková
film profile]) transition to fiction filmmaking. Inspired by a real story, the film portrays a newly widowed woman navigating the complexities of her changed reality over the course of a year. The journey, originally chronicled in a diaristic series published in a Czech magazine, captures the turbulent first twelve months of loss and adaptation. Although Lišková initially conceived the project as a documentary, it evolved into a fictional drama, written by Eugen Liška, structured around the changing seasons that mirror the protagonist’s emotional trajectory.

The film centres on Petra Svobodová (Pavla Beretová), who receives a life-altering phone call while working as an interpreter. In her early forties, Petra’s world is upended by the sudden death of her husband. Left to care for their young daughter Dominika (Julie Šoucová), she must also grapple with the challenges of managing their dilapidated rural house – a place they had planned to move to, leaving behind the hustle of city life. The practical and emotional strain is compounded by the seemingly endless wait for legal and bureaucratic procedures. Petra’s late husband’s mother (Zuzana Kronerová) becomes a passive-aggressive presence, offering support while imposing her own views on how Petra and Dominika should manage their lives. Meanwhile, Dominika’s seemingly detached response to her father’s death adds another layer of emotional tension for Petra, who finds herself balancing grief, maternal responsibilities, and an uncertain future.

The story is divided into four chapters for each season, reflecting Petra’s internal journey as she transitions into a new phase of life. Lišková eschews melodrama, presenting the protagonist’s struggles with a quiet, understated resilience, even when faced with absurd bureaucratic obstacles and insensitive approaches from institutions. The cyclical rhythm of nature serves as a counterpoint to Petra’s inner turmoil after she relocates to the countryside. Here, Lišková and cinematographer Dušan Husár (A Sensitive Person [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomáš Klein
film profile]) adopt a more poetic visual style, with the meditative cadence of natural sounds, minimalist musical motifs and an observational style. The protagonist begins to find solace in physical labour and builds connections with her neighbours, fostering a sense of renewal.

Year of the Widow is a psychological family drama seen through Petra’s perspective, with her daughter and mother-in-law offering contrasting responses to loss, depicting a trans-generational view of processing grief. The film explores themes of mourning, transformation, and self-discovery while addressing broader questions of personal agency and the psychological impact of dealing with loss. By grounding the story in a restrained emotional palette, Lišková shifts a meditation on grief and the slow, painful process of rebuilding a life to a more emancipatory and emphatic story.

Year of the Widow was produced by Cinémotif Films and co-produced by KerekesFilm and Pipser.