Czech cinema spotlight: Chica Checa gives coming out a Czech twist

Chica Checa follows a widowed Czech mother whose life is upended when her son returns home and reveals that he is gay and works as a drag queen in Paris. Rather than turning the revelation into a conventional coming-out drama, Šimon Holý’s tender comedy-drama focuses on a mother learning to see her son, and herself, in a new light.

Why watch now: The Prague Reporter calls it “a gentle film about acceptance that does not need to shout its message,” praising Pavla Tomicová and Jan Cina’s performances and the film’s refusal to rely on familiar coming-out stereotypes. Chica Checa is now playing with English subtitles at Kino Světozor, Kino Lucerna, Bio Oko, Kino Aero, Kino Přítomnost, and Edison Filmhub.

This past Friday marked the anniversary of the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, the historical event at the center of Waves, Jiří Mádl’s acclaimed historical drama about journalists at Czechoslovak Radio during the end of Prague Spring. Two years after its theatrical debut, the film has now passed one million Czech cinema admissions, making it the country’s second-highest-grossing Czech film since 1989.

Why watch now: The film’s remarkable theatrical run continues more than two years after its original release, with anniversary screenings keeping its story of the 1968 invasion in cinemas. Waves can be seen with English subtitles at Kino Atlas on Aug. 29, or streamed on Netflix in Czechia.