Poberta | Director: Ondřej Hudeček

Comedy, drama, crime | 118 minutes
Screenplay and direction: Ondřej Hudeček | Cast: Matyáš Řezníček, Václav Neužil, Stanislav Majer, Denisa Barešová, Lukáš Příkazký, Filip Kaňkovský, Petr Borovec and others.
Director: Ondřej Hudeček

Ondřej Hudeček's feature debut Poberta is a genre-blending mix of heist comedy, crime thriller, and western, while also offering a satirical take on Czech society during the COVID pandemic. The chaotic period of lockdowns and restrictions becomes a setting where rules constantly shift, are circumvented, and reinterpreted according to immediate needs. Hudeček filmed in familiar territory - his native Strážnice, the Moravian countryside, and Kyjov - transplanting western archetypes into a small-town framework. Beneath the humour and genre exaggeration, Poberta also explores prejudice, social hypocrisy, personal responsibility, and how difficult it can be to get a second chance.

After his release from prison, small-time thief Lupyn tries to start fresh. Finding work proves difficult, and he soon gets entangled with his old associates again. A series of insurance frauds draws him into conflict with a local loan shark, a corrupt police officer, and his own desire to earn money for a new beginning. What starts as a few seemingly simple deals quickly spirals into a chain of lies, robberies, and increasingly absurd situations.