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Summary for: Czech cinema spotlight: Lover, Not a Fighter spotlights young love in Bratislava🇨🇿 Czech Film in Focus
Love, alcoholism and the chaos of young adulthood collide in Lover, Not a Fighter (Milovník, nie bojovník), a new Slovak-Czech romantic tragicomedy from debut director Martina Buchelová. Adam Kubala stars as Andrej, a troubled young man determined to stop drinking, stay out of trouble and spend a quiet summer with his grandmother. His plans unravel when he reconnects with a young woman he's long admired, setting off an unpredictable romance in a Bratislava housing estate.
Why watch now: Lover, Not a Fighter won the Grand Prize in the Proxima competition at this year's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The film is now playing in Prague, with English-subtitled screenings at Kino Světozor during Oct. 19–25.
🎞️ The Throwback
František Vláčil's The Valley of the Bees (Údolí včel) follows a young Bohemian nobleman, Ondřej, who is sent to a fanatical order of Teutonic Knights during the Middle Ages. When he abandons the order and attempts to return to ordinary life, his former companion Armin pursues him, setting up a confrontation between religious devotion and personal freedom.
Why watch now: Released the same year as Vláčil's Marketa Lazarová, The Valley of the Bees was produced using costumes and props from the earlier epic. Though initially overshadowed by its predecessor, it has since gained recognition as a Czech classic in its own right. The film screens with English subtitles at Kino Ponrepo on Oct. 21.
🇬🇧 This Week's English-Friendly Screenings
- Oct. 19: Nicolas Roeg's acclaimed 1973 psychological horror Don't Look Now, starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as a grieving couple in Venice, screens in English at Kino Aero as part of its Legends series.
- Oct. 19–20: Das Filmfest concludes at Kino Lucerna and Edison Filmhub with English-subtitled German-language films including Late Shift, Impatience of the Heart, and Rose.
- Oct. 19–22: The Prague Science Film Fest at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Suchdol offers English-friendly documentaries including the world premiere of fungi-focused Czech film Mykokosmos.
- Oct. 20: Cult 1984 sci-fi comedy Repo Man screens alongside Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice in an offbeat double feature at Kino Aero.
- Oct. 20: Primetime receives advance screenings at Kino Světozor and Kino Aero (on Oct. 24) ahead of its regular theatrical run.
- Oct. 21: Laika's acclaimed stop-motion fantasy Kubo and the Two Strings, following a young Japanese boy who must confront his family's supernatural legacy, screens in English at Kino Aero.
- Oct. 21: Sci-fi horror classic Event Horizon screens in English at Edison Filmhub, followed by a discussion with Gare Scare.
- Oct. 21: Mary Harron's cult adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, starring Christian Bale as Wall Street investment banker Patrick Bateman, screens in English at Kino Aero.
- Oct. 22: Jaroslav Papoušek's 1969 Czech New Wave comedy Ecce homo Homolka, a satirical portrait of a Czech family whose weekend outing descends into chaos, screens with English subtitles at Kino Aero as part of the Some Like It Czech series.
- Oct. 23–25: The Kolnoa Israeli Film Festival at Edison Filmhub presents English-subtitled films including A Letter to David, The Ring, Love, Statistically Speaking and a selection of Israeli short films.
- Oct. 23: Laika's new stop-motion fantasy Wildwood receives an English-language preview screening at Bio Oko as part of its Day of Animation program.
🍿 New wide releases
- Whalefall ★★★½
- Street Fighter ★★
📺 The Streaming Watchlist
- A new generation of cybernetically enhanced mercenaries navigates the violent streets of Night City in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, a standalone sequel to the acclaimed animated series based on the video game universe, streaming Oct. 20 on Netflix.
- Chris Pratt returns as Navy SEAL commander James Reece in Season 2 of The Terminal List, which follows him into an international conspiracy stretching from Moscow to Langley, streaming Oct. 21 on Prime Video.
- Kristen Bell and Adam Brody return as Joanne and Noah, whose unconventional romance enters a new chapter as they move in together, in Season 3 of Nobody Wants This, streaming Oct. 22 on Netflix.
- Omar Sy reprises his role as gentleman thief Assane Diop, who remains behind bars while contemplating his next move, in Part 4 of French crime thriller Lupin, streaming Oct. 23 on Netflix.
- Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley explore the life and career of comedian Maria Bamford, whose candid humor draws on her personal struggles and family relationships, in documentary Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story, streaming Oct. 23 on Netflix.
