Food + Daisies

When two young women, Marie I and Marie II, conclude that the world around them is thoroughly corrupt, they make a radical decision: why not be even worse? What follows is an anarchic trip filled with bizarre pranks as they manipulate older, wealthy men, drain their wallets, and ruthlessly shatter every social taboo.

Věra Chytilová’s subversive comedy DAISIES is an absolute milestone of the Czechoslovak New Wave. This revolutionary 1960s cinematic movement—which also included directors like Miloš Forman and Jan Švankmajer—was renowned for its pitch-black, absurd humor and fierce social critique of the ruling communist regime. In close collaboration with costume designer Ester Krumbachová and cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera, Chytilová created a timeless, aesthetic explosion of experimental editing and vibrant colors that mercilessly lampoons traditional gender roles and the bourgeoisie.

Although the film garnered international acclaim at various film festivals, its anarchic energy was deemed dangerous at home. Its blatant critique of censorship, the patriarchy, and suffocating social norms even led to the film being debated by the Czechoslovak parliament and officially banned from theaters. Today, however, DAISIES stands tall as a razor-sharp satire and one of the most radical feminist cult classics—a colorful ode to female liberation that continues to inspire new generations.

DAISIES is preceded by Jan Švankmajer’s FOOD (1992), in which the Czech master explores our relationship with food through clay animation and stop-motion.