Nothing Like Before
Lukáš Kokeš, Klára Tasovská, Lukáš Matoušek
Discos, poorly paid part-time jobs, unexcused absences, and unplanned pregnancies – this film about the lives of teenagers in Varnsdorf is an unembellished portrayal of contemporary adolescence in this small Czech border town. This documentary, by directors Klára Tasovská and Lukáš Kokeš, follows the lives of four teenage classmates in the Šluknov Hook. Teo, Renata, Anička, and Nikola – who, for the most part, come from broken families – are desperately trying to find their place in the world. This film captures their last carefree moments in high school, just before they graduate and enter the grown-up world where nothing will be the same. Can they endure the burden of such a responsibility? The dynamic editing underlines the turbulence of the young generation. With a sophisticated approach to documentary narration, it provides a profound insight into the lives of teenagers who are forced to come of age before they want to. This film premiered last year at the IDFA festival in Amsterdam.