BEST OF FESTS

AFTER PARTY

2024 / 89 min / color

Vojtĕch Strakatý’s debut feature takes place over the course of 24 hours. It’s not an easy time for the main character, young Jindřiška (portrayed by the highly gifted Eliška Bašusová). The ups and downs of a party she attends are nothing compared to the situation she walks into when she gets home — debt collectors are waiting and they clearly didn’t come to negotiate. Her life is suddenly turned upside down by her father’s irresponsible financial decisions: he has racked up debts that now affect the security of the entire family. Jindřiška’s relatives seem pretty vague and uninvolved, seeing no way out of the situation. The only person she can rely on is her friend Karolina. As she receives a series of threats and more and more belongings are taken from the home, Jindřiška has to make a difficult choice between helping her father and saving herself before it’s too late. Czech director Strakatý’s film is inspired by his own experiences from many years ago, when debts incurred by his father put everything he owned at risk, and more importantly threatened to break up his family. This, along with having to make adult decisions at an early age, is the main theme of After Party, a combination coming-of age film and family drama that even includes elements of thrillers.