PREFAB STORY

A housing estate is coming into being on the fringes of Prague. Although the construction is far from completed, people are already moving into most of the flats. A makeshift version of everyday life begins in the imperfect surroundings. The paths of a small child and an old man, both struggling to find their bearings among the chaos of the building site, keep crossing, just as do those of the other residents. The result is a nervous web of communication and wordlessness. Having been prevented from making films for a number of years, the director was now attempting to find a language that might pass the censors without denying her own innovative ambitions. However,since any hint of scepticism in regard to “communist housing projects” was no less taboo in the ČSSR than in the neighbouring countries, the film roused the suspicion of the censors, who placed it on ice.