What is the meaning of life? What is love, humor, fear and death? Is it all just a dream? Who are we and where are we heading? Will we wake up, will we remember?
Bára Veselá is constantly pursued by bad luck and is on the run from the law. By chance, she unwillingly becomes a salesperson for the fashion department at the newly opened department store, Zlatá labuť. This store is a magnificent palace of luxury and is a new modern landmark in the center of Prague. The store holds a rich history behind its opulent storefronts. It is March 15, 1939, and German occupation forces are invading the Czechoslovakian state.
Born in the early 20th century, herbalist Jan Mikolasek became rich and famous after curing countless diseases with unorthodox means. A true emblem of Czechoslovakia before World War II, the healer became even more appreciated during the Nazi occupation and the communist regime. Each regime appreciates his skill and protects him. But how much will it cost him to maintain his status in a new political change?
A behind-the-scenes look at the eleven-year process it took to make The Painted Bird. The narratives of director Václav Marhoul and actor Petr Kotlár weave their way through the various stages of the film's creation, offering their subjective views from the beginning to the last flap of a year-and-a-half long shoot.