DIVIDED WE FALL
MUSIME SI POMAHAT



Czech Republic, 2000, 123 min, color

Marie and Josef Cizek livе in a small village during the Nazi occupation. Marie and Josef's marriage is showing signs of strain as a result of the political situation and their inability to have children due to Josef's sterility. The Cizeks hide in their home David, the son of deported neighbors. An acquaintance of the couple, Horst Prohazka, has become a Nazi collaborator. He doesn't hide his interest in Marie, and uses his new authority to come uninvited to their home. The couple begins to suspect that Horst knows about David, so when Horst asks the couple to board a Nazi clerk in their spare room, Marie tells him that they are expecting a baby. In order to make the lie real, Marie must convince David to impregnate her. This will allow her to have the baby she wants, but it drives deeper the wedge between her and Josef.

"The film tells a serious story in an entertaining way and represents my personal reflections on human dignity. It demonstrates that even a small show of decency can manifest great heroism and that sometimes a small indecency can be tragic."

"The idea is based on real stories several people told me of the simple human heroism that comes from basic decency. This, however, can carry with it a terrible fate. The Second World War serves as a mere catalyst in the story. I wanted a timeless topic, something which addressed the question of what heroism and cowardice are, and how they overlap."