Original subtitles

I sing, I sing

But not with cheer

For my little heart within

Has turned to stone

For my little heart within

Has turned to stone

People will think that

I sing to myself

But I am confessing

My sins to myself

But I am...

Their voices are incredible.

I completely understand your wife's emotion.

Imagine how it sounds in the field.

As they rake hay and their song carries through the valley.

The locals here have no idea what kind of export potential they possess.

The whole Czechoslovak nation has potential.

Our whole company should be an example for the transformation of Czechoslovakia

from a primitive folk society into an industrialized, modern one.

Call the doctor.

I trusted you...

But no longer

For now I have tried you

But no longer

For now I have tried you

How are we on time?

I'm having a lovely time.

WE HAVE NEVER BEEN MODERN

We should be going.

All right.

- Can you hand me the towel, darling? - Yes, darling.

When the cable car opens to the public, the crowds will flock here.

We could build a tourist restaurant, do the shoreline up a bit,

bring some finer gravel in.

I know, I'm not supposed to be working.

What's wrong, do your shoes hurt?

My feet have swollen up. It's not the shoes' fault.

Hmm...

"Hmm" what?

Nothing, I'm off the clock. Could you toss me my shorts, please?

Maybe.

Shall I go like this?

Yeah.

I'm just surprised they don't think about pregnant customers in Zlín.

Maybe if we replaced...

damn it...

the leather with synthetic fibers.

- Hmm... - Exactly.

No...

Forget it.

No, you're terribly cold!

THE TOWN OF THE FUTURE

- This won't be an easy week. - I know it won't.

Just so you don't think I'm ignoring you. It's just the boss is flying in soon.

FIVE DAYS BEFORE HELENA GIVES BIRTH

I know you're not.

Shall we have lunch today, at least?

I have a meeting at 8:00 about the coal quality for the boilers...

FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE BOSS FLIES IN

then a meeting for the assembly, so, at one o'clock?

Dr. Kubak is flying in from Zlín.

They'll be doing medical examinations of job applicants.

I wanted to help him.

The morning shift begins in ten minutes, I repeat, in ten minutes.

SVIT COMPANY, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1937

Don't work yourself crazy.

- Take care of him for me, will you? - As if he were my own.

You're very funny.

- Bye. - Bye.

With my last kid, my feet were like this.

And I was bigger overall. But now I'm nice and thin.

But you're very thin.

- And have you chosen a name? - We're waiting to see what it will be.

I think it's a girl. A girl takes one's beauty.

A woman should be just right. Our mothers weren't skinny.

And what is traditional doesn't need changing.

Careful now, The Eva Review says otherwise.

- In the new issue? - The old one,

but there's a collection by Madeleine Vionnet.

Starched, overpriced artificiality.

I saw the models. They're so scrawny, almost boyish.

More whims than they know

- what to do with. - Do you have a name for a boy?

- Not yet. - They still have time.

- Seven months? - Almost eight.

Little Alois? Director Jr.?

Or how about Rene?

It's a boy's name, but elsewhere it's a girl's name.

Rene's a girl's name?

- You shouldn't exert yourself. - Rene-é.

I mean, not to say you're overexerting yourself, but...

- You're not exerting yourself, are you? - No.

Well, that's good.

If I were a director's wife, I'd have some help with the household by now.

My husband is taking me to Paris.

- That is, if the assembly goes well. - Well, don't count your chickens.

This is your time. That's the main thing.

It will never happen again. Your first pregnancy only happens once.

- Second. - What's that?

It's my second pregnancy. I miscarried the first time.

Well, yeah...

Shoes...

Don't you miss Zlín?

My husband's in Zlín. How I envy him.

- You'll get used to it. - Oh, Zlín what a city...

ABLE TO WORK

Fine. Call the next one in, please.

- Thank you, goodbye. - Goodbye.

His powers of reasoning are for others to test.

What? He is healthy.

Yes.

Your father built himself a tennis court.

- No... - Yes.

And he's invited me to play tomorrow.

So I'll let your parents know how their grandchild is doing.

I'm a terrible daughter for not suggesting it myself.

Your parents always talk about you. "Our Helena, she had it all here."

"Why did she leave for the wilderness?"

- It's peaceful in the wilderness. - Of course.

Peace and quiet here...

We do what needs to be done.

My husband built this place up from a research station with ten employees.

And today, if not for our artificial silk,

the whole company would be dependent on imports.

And we don't want to be dependent.

Are you taking iron?

- The dizziness stopped, diarrhoea set in. - Yeah, that's normal.

- Is there something wrong? - No, everything's fine.

Just be careful.

What about your anxiety? Has it subsided?

My anxieties are now anxious about me.

This land is the reason for the general assembly.

Some owners still don't want to sell.

They didn't even want the town founded,

but if it's going to grow, then we need them.

There's even a delegation from Zlín coming to convince them in person.

The boss has a certain charisma and experience.

- It will go fine. - We should do something for the locals.

So they can understand the benefits of our being here.

A proper clinic, for example, instead of just an infirmary.

Well, that takes a sense of adventure, like your husband has, for example.

But I won't be moving to Svit in my old age.

But you probably didn't mean me, did you?

Hey!

- What are you doing? - The director?

What? What about him?

- He isn't with you? - No.

What's going on?

Mrs. Hauptová, what's over there is nothing for your eyes.

We dug it up about half an hour ago.

I was already done and he tells me pour some more out,

"tomorrow will be easy." Easy, my God.

I threw two shovelfuls through the sieve and the third struck something.

So I look to see what it is...

- Have you informed my husband? - And the gendarmes.

It's a good thing I dug under him, I could have cut him.

Or her.

Or... whatever it is.

Mrs. Hauptová, it's probably not relevant,

but the lads are concerned about what it is, or...

People are born like normal, right? Either girls or boys.

And this one...

It's got that and that.

It shouldn't have that and that, should it?

No, it shouldn't.

I'll put it professionally, if you don't mind:

The urogenital opening is on the shrunken base of the phallus,

but has an undeveloped genital ridge.

Hermaphroditism, verus or pseudo,

only an internal examination can tell.

So technically, the child has both sexes, male and female?

- The shift is over. - Technically.

- Have you... - Have you...

- Ever seen this before? - In textbooks.

As a rare deformation. Never in practice.

- How did it die? - It has no visible injuries.

With newborns, not only violent killing, but also failure to render aid is a crime.

Get back, please. Stop. Turn around, please, and go back...

- Where will you take the body? - Turn around, go back!

- Spišská Sobota. - Go!

When its chest is down, compressed, that means it never even took a breath.

I would wait for the lung probe, but that's what it looks like.

Where did you get your degree?

I haven't yet.

Everyone who saw the body has been instructed to keep quiet about it,

so I'll ask you to do the same.

I'd also like to discuss our options if it does get out.

Can we assess what consequences we can expect?

Bázik?

None of our contractors would put rumors before business.

And even if we were to get bad press,

I'm sure someone in Zlín has contacts in the censorship office.

Bázik is right, there will be rumors.

So what? It won't affect staff morale,

and if it did, we have ten applicants for every position.

Everyone is replaceable.

Workers for sure, maybe you too, but not everyone. Not everyone.

- Am I insulting you, counselor? - What do you mean?

There are eight owners I still haven't convinced.

If we don't buy up all the land, then you can forget the factory expansion.

Especially if there are rumors.

What kind of rumors?

They're simple people. Smallholders.

If people are saying we're in here doing experiments...

making monsters, then they'll just cross themselves.

And they won't sign anything.

Or if they hear we're dumping chemicals and babies like that one are being born...

What chemicals are we dumping?

I'm just contemplating what will happen if rumors spread.

- You're spreading nonsense yourself. - I'm Jewish,

I'm sensitive to rumors about dead children.

So what are we releasing? Soda ash is what your wife washes your shirts in.

If you haven't grown breasts yet then that's not the problem.

What else? Quicklime? Or lye?

Sulfur carbonate, fine. Nerve gas. But not with our security measures.

Three years of testing here, years in Zlín, not one incident.

- So far. - Well, what, then?

Am I putting something in the water to make deformed babies?

I'm sorry.

We need to build a foundry, new amenities for employees,

sanitary facilities...

We can't stop everything because of rumors.

Someone must really hate what we're building here.

Only a sick mind would come up with this.

Come up with what?

Digging up that "thing" somewhere and dumping it here.

They knew people would talk about it. Sorry, sorry.

It's an opportune time for them to show us in a bad light.

We can cancel the swim in the morning and get some sleep.

It'll clear your head.

Good night.

What if it is our fault?

It could have been damaged by our production.

What if we have the same baby?

We'll manage this.

We'll manage.

If you can't sleep, then poke me, all right?

- Thank you. - We have a management meeting at 9.

At 10, a phone call to Zlín,

an assessment of the situation, a proposal for further action,

then a meeting with the gendarmes. I don't know how long it'll take,

so I don't think we can meet for lunch today either, do you mind?

FOUR DAYS BEFORE HELENA GIVES BIRTH

Today, lunch, no?

Bye.

And bye.

Hello, gentlemen, good afternoon.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF CARBON DISULFIDE

Dr. Kubak, I'm calling for selfish reasons.

One of the workers has developed a tremor.

It could be anything, but he's working on dissolving cellulose,

so I was wondering if it could be carbon disulfide poisoning.

Just to be sure, could I ask you to run a spectroscopic blood analysis?

Pardon me, madam.

- Dear God, sorry, allow me... - Don't touch me.

I did knock. I'll come back later.

Do you need something?

A colleague said he came here to get some oil for rhinitis,

so I was hoping you might have something to relieve a headache.

Your head hurts?

This one.

And has it been hurting for a while or only at the moment?

Is that important? Only now.

And did it start at work or outside of work?

At work.

And at which production facility do you work? Cellulose?

I'm an accountant, ma'am.

Oh. Well...

I'll give you aspirin. Put a tablet in your tea.

If that doesn't work, come back tomorrow for morphine tablets.

Can I just take the tablets now?

We've got a deadline.

All right.

The bus to Propad leaves at 6 o'clock.

I repeat, at 6 o'clock.

The train to Liptovský Mikuláš...

You'll give me a ride to Poprad, won't you?

BUS STOP

- Why are you going to the airport? - To send a package.

Is it true what they're saying?

- What are they saying? - Well, all kinds of things, but mostly...

that a monster was found on the premises.

Right.

I heard the kid had something inhuman, something animal-like in its face.

It was all furry and smelled of musk.

Well, imagine that!

Such a lot in life and then someone uses it for who knows what ends.

- And who told you about it, anyway? - My husband's men brought the sand.

And was your husband there when the sand was brought in?

He came back last night and found out what a sick thing had happened.

- Why? - Just wondering.

Duck, duck, little duck, sweet wee wife, Why you don't want to dance with me?

All day and all night I carry you in my arms,

Now come dance with me, I beg of you

Duck, duck, little duck, I've got barley for you

If you keep sulking so on me

Here you are, gentlemen.

Alois, we said one nanny was enough and that we'd choose her together.

My wife Helena.

We hope that our child will get its sense of humor from me.

But its looks from you, I hope, Mrs. Hauptová.

Robert.

Depends what it is. Alois has nicer ears.

The gentlemen will be staying a few days and I offered to put them up with us.

I assure you we are exceedingly tidy.

So much that our mothers are shocked at how well they beat it into us.

Well, then I should write a thank-you note.

Things are still very provisional here, I hope you won't mind the nursery.

I certainly won't.

Well, this way then.

Who do you think is behind it?

Whoever.

Let's not kid ourselves that the state is truly unified.

Czech factory's failure would please many people.

- Help yourselves. - Thank you for your help. Thank you.

Do you know how many people dislike Czechoslovakism?

For some it's a strong state with a world-class industry,

for others perhaps a success story of your company...

Of course.

And don't forget the revolutionary communist groups

spreading amongst the workers, as we've already seen in Zlín.

- Or our separatists from Hlinka. - Helena?

- Bed linens? - Or the Poles.

They still haven't got over the Javorina arbitration.

There are many possible motivations.

That is why we need to start with facts, not emotions.

What do you propose?

Why do they need all that equipment?

I suppose they know what they're doing.

- Do you know who they are? - No.

- Are you sure you can handle this? - I can handle it.

- I'll go and wash the dishes. - That's kind of you.

All right, but where can one find a child like that?

That's actually the first step in tracking down the saboteurs.

Will you excuse me, please? Where is the toilet?

Upstairs.

Intended for both sexes and everything in between, I suppose.

PASSPORT

"We'll finish you off the way the Bolsheviks finished off the Czar."

What are you doing?

You shouldn't be doing that in your state.

A crown.

I want a crown for every time someone tells me what not to do in my state.

Then I'll buy up the whole place.

Come on in, I'm almost done.

We won't try your goodwill and hospitality for long, don't worry.

As long as you need.

Hopefully that list of threats didn't scare you.

- I read the papers. - Newspapers sometimes exaggerate.

- And you don't? - Me?

No.

Look at the hullabaloo around Germany.

"Hitler does this, Hitler does that, be afraid!"

But he's just a rational, calculating man puffing up his chest

to negotiate a better place for his nation in the world. Nothing more.

Your child will be born into a safer world.

Another year or two...

I hope it's born sooner than that.

I meant it would be a safer world in a year or two.

I want to assure you that the same goes for the safety of your town.

And here it's just a matter of days.

We will find the person who snuck that child onto the premises, don't worry.

- No one snuck it in. - No?

It was born there.

They check everyone at the gate,

there is no way to go around it. Property is taken very seriously here.

Plus, the grounds are fenced off with barbed wire.

They barely checked the sand at the gate, it could have come through there.

- The site manager saw the sand come in. - Then he missed it too.

Yeah, except that he's been in Zlín for a week.

The sand has been there over a week, and the baby, judging by its condition,

hadn't been there for longer than a day.

You have interesting ideas, Mrs. Hauptová.

Facts. Not ideas.

But nothing that couldn't be explained by a hole in the fence.

Of course.

Who are these people?

Kind of like the gendarmes.

Kind of like gendarmes aren't gendarmes.

What?

Kind of like gendarmes aren't gendarmes!

General Staff, Second Department. Counter-espionage.

Zlín doesn't want us underestimating this.

Do you trust them?

Robert said you had a theory about how the kid got there.

One of the workers gave birth there and ran.

That makes more sense than sabotage.

Stop spreading more rumors, please. We have plenty already.

I'm not spreading rumors.

So the kid was all hairy smelled of musk?

I was just making fun of her.

Since it got all the way to me, I guess not everyone gets your jokes.

So stop it.

- Do you want me to oil your feet? - No.

THREE DAYS BEFORE HELENA GIVES BIRTH

TWO DAYS BEFORE THE BOSS FLIES IN

Did you sleep well?

Just like at home.

May I?

Just like at home.

I'd like to do a class for the girls in the dormitory today.

- At the night school. - Thank you.

Rumors could confuse their ideas of pregnancy and children in general.

Rumors are best stopped by education.

Women are often smarter than us.

Yours for sure, Director.

Do you need some help?

Your husband sent you to check on me.

He doesn't know I'm here.

And I hope it stays that way.

What do you need?

How long had the baby been dead?

Between six hours and two days.

And you were right. It was stillborn.

Was it born where it was found?

Judging by the post-mortem bruising, the body was not tampered with.

- So yes, it was born at the factory. - And may I see it?

Two gentlemen from the army came for the body yesterday.

Aha.

Is your curiosity sincere?

I like the world to make sense to me.

Have you read the new textbook by Dr. Hájek?

Thank you.

PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES

Could we get started?

Men, huh?

They are meant to be learning about household budgets today.

I asked them to write down their current expenses.

- They'll use it tomorrow. - So you won't be teaching tomorrow?

That depends on whether they're all in there.

They're the girls from production, just like you wanted.

There aren't many of them, most girls work in administration.

Then there's no need for a lecture tomorrow.

As future mothers, you should know

that postpartum is a very complicated period,

which I assume none of you have experienced?

No one has given birth here, Mrs. Director.

But of course.

That's why I'm here. To warn and instruct you.

Heavy bleeding can last up to ten days.

The body sheds excess blood and tissue it no longer needs.

It's a very risky period.

You can faint,

there can be blood poisoning, venous thrombosis of the legs,

and of course there can be psychological consequences.

I understand it's difficult to talk about such things in public.

If any of you have any questions regarding sexual education,

I'll be in my office after the lecture.

We can talk about it in private. Girl to girl.

RANDOM EXPENSES

The night service...

I repeat, the night service...

I'm just calling... have you got the results yet? The blood work?

Yes.

I'll let everyone know that poisoning has not been confirmed.

Me? Oh...

Fine.

The baby's growing like an amniotic weed.

It's all right...

It's all right...

Dr. František Hájek, Forensic Medicine.

Regarding Contentious Issues of Gender.

Female sexual dysfunction, inability to procreate...

Hermaphroditism.

The name hermaphroditism comes from an old myth about Hermaphroditus,

the son of Hermes and Aphrodite.

When he was 13, he went out into the world to visit unknown lands.

He came to a beautiful pool, inhabited by Salmacis, a nymph,

who fell in love with the young man.

When she saw him naked in the water, she threw herself upon him.

But when he scorned her love, she asked the gods

that there never came a day when they would be separated.

The gods granted this wish and united the two bodies

into one individual with two sexual organs.

Hermaphrodites have had pitiable fates, as they would be burned at the stake

and otherwise persecuted throughout their lives.

Hermaphroditism verus, external genitalia.

Pseudohermaphroditism masculinus externus:

Cleft scrotum with a testicle in each half.

Pseudohermaphroditism femininus externus.

A 25-year-old carpenter hanged himself in his workshop,

and the autopsy found that he was a woman.

Alois?

Alois?

- What's going on? - Did we wake you up? So sorry.

We didn't mean to.

Get the first aid kit, he started bleeding on the way.

- On the way from where? - The first aid kit!

They did what they were supposed to, but shit...

Yes. And does anyone in Zlín even realize what we've got ourselves into?

Wait a minute.

Don't you want to ask what happened?

What happened?

We uncovered a group sabotaging your factory.

- And this is the result. - What group?

Communist scum.

We intercepted radio communications with Moscow, where they confessed.

We tried to arrest the main culprit, but there was a shootout.

The major was pretty lucky.

But the main culprit is dead.

They wanted to prevent the success of your factory.

They're out for businessmen's blood, especially yours.

The baby was stolen from the morgue.

They climbed over the factory fence and left the fetus there so it would be found.

Some degenerates' abortion that they kept in the morgue like an attraction.

You should see the leaflets we found.

Sheer hatred.

"Death to capitalists."

- "We'll finish you the way the Bolshev..." - "...finished off the Czar."

I think you're tired, Mrs. Hauptová.

"Miraculously tracked down."

"So many people who want to sabotage you."

He's wanted to blame it on Communists all along. He had a file in his trunk.

- You went through his trunk? - Robert's lying.

It wasn't a fetus from the morgue. It was born and died where it was found.

It's been confirmed.

I checked if any of the workers could have given birth on their shift

and it doesn't seem so.

And then I read a book.

Hermaphroditism can be hereditary. The mother can be the same as the baby.

Helena, please...

Outwardly, she looks more like a man than a woman.

So Robert is lying and we have what in the factory?

- A man who has given birth? - Read.

The number of hermaphrodites is very large,

and many live out their lives with no one ever knowing they were hermaphrodites.

Neugebauer, see page 237,

puts the number of hermaphrodites at 1:1000.

- Keep reading. - Out of 52,000 persons examined,

Neugebauer himself found 84 cases of hermaphroditism.

I'll finish it in the morning, all right?

You lost my page...

Neugebauer collected about 1,600 cases

out of which 102 were mistakenly entered into same-sex marriages.

Ninety of the women were found to be men both in life and after death at autopsy.

Twenty engagements were called off last minute just before the wedding.

Twelve married men were women and three of them gave birth.

Three men gave birth!

- Nonsense. - Facts. It makes sense.

- In what world? - In ours!

Men can give birth in our world?!

Well, evidently someone who looks like a man, yes.

I didn't make it up. Complain to the author or...

- nature or God or I don't know who. - Stop it!

Robert and his men risked their lives to help us and they found the culprits.

Thanks to them, I can get up in front of the landowners and say,

"these people wanted to harm us, they took a baby, this is what happened."

Or I can try to explain that we have fucking pregnant men!

Are you looking for the truth or an excuse?

Go to hell...

Where are you going?

You need a good night's sleep.

I'm tired, so I'll snore.

Fuck off.

I don't want to abuse your hospitality, but I'd like to stay longer.

I want to make sure we get all the culprits.

That's fine. Even if you're just here to relax.

Certainly not.

We think we can make a few more arrests.

Let justice be done.

Is that real coffee?

Fake.

Pregnant women shouldn't drink coffee. And Helena doesn't like substitutes,

so we make rye.

Thank you, I'm done.

TWO DAYS BEFORE HELENA GIVES BIRTH

ONE DAYS BEFORE THE BOSS FLIES IN

So coffee is harmful?

Is that proven?

Well, thank God it worked.

We'd have been so busy with the... excuse me...

- The assembly would've been canceled. - Is that the guy staying with you?

Is the handsome one married?

- You have a husband! - Yes.

Who I love very much, but he hasn't poked my eyes out yet.

You need a chastity belt.

He has a wife and two children.

Good thing they caught them.

I voted for the Communists, but that was the old bunch led by Šmeral.

Then Gottwald and his Karlín gang took over.

- My husband told me all about them. - Politics is not for women.

It's a man's game.

How long do you plan to be here today?

At least until the boys' shifts are over.

But you don't have to stay until the end, no one expects anything from you.

All right.

I hear they're even organizing protests against us in Poland.

Chełmek is a beautiful place.

In a few years Svit will be like that too.

Attention!

Due to the incident on the premises of the factory...

How accurate are these records?

If they're gone for more than 15 minutes, we dock their wages, so...

Very accurate.

No one left early on Tuesday for medical reasons?

Of the women?

Overall.

If there's no record of it, then no.

My records are in order.

These are the other days?

What are you actually looking for?

Alexander Matula.

He was 15 minutes late on Wednesday.

On Thursday, two hours. Do you know which one he is?

WASHING FACILITIES

I hear you were late two days in a row.

I'm sorry, it won't happen again.

I fully apologized to the manager.

What was the reason for your being late?

I overslept.

Are you fatigued?

Are you in any pain?

Not even your belly?

I just ate something bad.

Come to the infirmary after your shift. I'll give you something for digestion.

Diarrhoea.

CLEANLINESS AND ORDER

After you left, one of the men who's staying at your place came in.

He was trying to find out where you'd gone.

So I told him that you go swimming in the river this time of year

and that you enjoy nudism, if spying arouses him.

You're amazing!

It must be hard being away from your family.

Do you go home often?

It's been busy, but I'm going to see my parents at the weekend.

So your stomach started hurting yesterday...

Not Tuesday?

And there was no bleeding, I assume?

Mrs. Hauptová, I'd just like the medicine.

Have you ever heard of septicaemia?

If an extensive wound is not treated, infection can spread throughout the body.

It may only be pain for now,

but then fever can set in...

septic shock...

you can fall unconscious...

your organs can start to fail, one by one...

Can I take a look at your abdomen?

- Thank you, Mrs. Hauptová. - Saša, let me help you.

It's called hermaphroditism.

A hermaphrodite: someone between the two sexes.

Something of a man and something of a woman.

This particular one looks more like a man but is more of a woman on the inside.

Hermaphrodite?

If I disinfect the wound, it'll help the inflammation and the pain will pass.

Or you can disinfect it yourself.

It hurts down there, doesn't it?

I'll get it ready, then.

In the meantime, you can wash your hands.

You can undress here.

Disinfectant.

I'll be here, in case you...

need anything.

First go around the area, carefully.

You're not the only one like this.

How many are there?

According to the book, one in 1,000 babies are born with a form of hermaphroditism.

Which is about the same as the number of redheads.

Not everyone is like you.

Some have a stunted uterus, underdeveloped testicles.

Every case is different.

It's not your fault the way you were born.

It was already dead.

The child?

My stomach started to hurt, so I asked to go to the toilet.

And you gave birth.

I thought only women had children.

But you are a woman, anatomically.

I'm all right now.

Thank you.

But you must have known, did you not? You must have had menstruation.

Is this what a woman looks like?

Down there, you're more woman than man.

I was born a man.

I went to school like a man.

Ask the manager, I work like a man!

Not a woman. A man!

But you still felt different.

- They're lying to you there. - Saša,

the inflammation could get worse, you could get a fever, chills,

suddenly your condition can get so bad that it's irreversible.

You have atypical organs, damaged genitalia...

I am not a woman, I'm a man!

Good evening.

Can I help you?

- I'm fine. - There's something on your neck.

- Eczema. - That's pretty nasty eczema.

- Eczema tends to be nasty. - My wife puts bean broth on her skin.

Then your wife is living in the Middle Ages.

You were seen at the factory today, ma'am. What were you doing there?

I didn't have time to read the book.

After the meeting, okay?

It's okay, you've got a lot on you.

I'm interested.

My imagination ran wild, pregnant men are nonsense.

You can skip the airport tomorrow and rest, if you want.

I'll come with you.

What?

I'll come with you.

THE BOSS FLIES IN

Look!

ONE DAYS BEFORE HELENA GIVES BIRTH

I warmly welcome you to this gorgeous landscape.

- "I warmly welcome you..." - Thank you, dear Alois,

for this modest but very warm welcome.

- You have no idea... - "Let me kiss your hand..."

- How beautiful the bird's eye view is! - I'm glad you honor us with your visit.

The pleasure is mine.

My wife, Helena.

- Welcome. - Let me kiss your hand.

Of course.

Gentlemen.

- This way, please. - After you.

Lovely weather.

Where do we stand?

The rumors are under control.

Most of the owners are on our side

and I'm sure the rest will be persuaded when they meet you.

- And when will that be? - Tomorrow.

But we have prepared a schedule for you, if that's all right.

Lovely.

- The meeting will be held upstairs. - Yes, yes, beautiful.

- Good day to you. - Good day to you.

- Good day to you. - It'll be fine this year.

Lovely...

- Where is he? - At his parents'.

Hello.

What are you doing there?

Leave it alone, don't touch it.

You forgot your sweater.

Your brother?

Did he do something?

What could he have done?

He said he felt sick.

So he came home.

Is there something to be paid?

Just the opposite.

Our factory needs people like him.

Maybe he could even find a place in Zlín.

People like what?

Our company is looking for skilled people.

They'll find the right place for him.

I see.

- Sweets. - Sweets.

Sweets.

Is that your own bread?

- Yes. - Yeah.

May I?

Be our guest.

Did I hurt you?

I'm not like that.

I know.

It was a shame to leave.

You can go back to Svit.

It was a shame to have left here, I mean.

Was it easier here?

Would you please arrange for me to be released from the factory?

They haven't paid me this week anyway, but that's my fault...

Won't you miss anyone there?

We weren't that close of a team.

But you must have had a sweetheart in Svit.

It takes two to make a baby.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Do you love him?

Fornication among men is a crime against nature.

And such should be locked up.

If you were a woman, then you could be with him.

No law would forbid it.

Helena?

Yes.

It's exactly as you described in your phone call.

Bad.

You have inflammation.

But that's nothing. Modern medicine can deal with that.

Your kind of hermaphroditism,

or intersexuality, as it's called in the modern world,

is most similar to this picture here.

The lower part, which resembles a scrotum,

miešok in Slovak, is basically the labia.

And this, what looks like a penis, is a greatly enlarged clitoris.

Do you know what a clitoris is?

If you had been born in the city, to an educated paediatrician,

he could have solved your problem right after birth.

How?

If the genitals don't match the norm, they adjust them a little.

In your case, that would have meant cutting off part of your clitoris.

Anyway, your body is clearly functioning as a female,

that's why it was capable of giving birth

and I don't see any reason why surgery would be needed

or why you should not be recognized as a woman.

But...

And this is an important "but," I cannot make this decision.

So you can likely expect a trial,

and it will not be a matter of days but several months.

And you must prepare yourself for that, Saša.

Saša...

It is not her decision.

Saša wants to talk to you.

Thank you.

My mom had a brother like him.

I might not have schooling, but I'm not stupid.

I saw him plenty of times, when he'd crapped himself as a babe.

You have a great kid.

And your wife is a saint.

I named him.

Around here, Saša can be a man or woman's name.

Where I come from too.

My wife cried for six months.

My mother even longer.

The parish priest didn't even want to baptize him.

Why?

God created man and woman.

If it is neither, then...

Then it's not a person.

But...

And what is Saša then?

They didn't say.

But they said they could only baptize a person.

Cows are not baptized, nor dogs.

The bishop had to make the decision.

That he's not a dog?

No local girls want him.

Will he be better off with you?

Go out into the world,

Find one who suits you

It was your mother

Who caused this,

The parting of

Our two hearts

God forbid she had night or day...

Can I ask for one more thing?

My sisters and brother have never ridden in a car.

Your husband is a reasonable man.

You should tell him.

Hour by hour, three million kilowatts go down the rivers into the sea.

If we add 20 hellers per kilowatt, that's an annual loss of 5.5 billion.

There was nothing else I could do!

Alois!

Doctor, tell me I'm seeing things!

We have to deal with things as they arise.

Arise?! He was reasonable and went home and you...

Before the assembly, of course, the perfect time to bring him back!

- Very clever, Helena! - After the assembly,

the plane flies to Zlín. I'd need you to...

I'd like you to ask the boss to take him with him.

- No, they won't touch him. - Stop it!

No Robert!

If anything happens to Saša, then I swear to you

the land will be the least of your problems!

Just arrange a ride?

Ideally, we should ask the boss

to have our lawyers take care of Saša in Zlín.

So "Saša"?

Until he flies, no one will see him, no one will know about him!

HELENA GIVES BIRTH TODAY

Sorry for the makeshift conditions, just one more night.

Did you sleep?

I'm jealous you get to fly.

You'll see everything from above. Svit, the Tatras, maybe even your house.

Mrs. Hauptová, I don't want to ruin your marriage.

Oh, please. You're not ruining anything.

Don't worry about us.

You've just started a new life.

That's what's important, focus on that.

I'm actually a little envious.

There are all these formalities I have to be present for today.

But I'll bring you lunch, okay?

Is that good?

Very good.

All right.

He doesn't know anything. I keep my word.

And have you asked the boss?

He knows about it.

Did you know that there are probably no dogs or cows in heaven?

What?

They can't get baptized, so they can't go to heaven.

It must be so boring in there, huh?

So, it's not complicated at all.

Your husband will shake hands with the factory owner

and you will step out and greet him with bread and salt.

And if you could turn a little so the camera sees...

- My belly. - Yeah.

And if you could put your hand on your wife's belly

- to show us how much you love her... - Like this, maybe?

Mommy, let me out, I don't want to be in a movie.

If that's enough for you, I don't know how much you love her.

Great.

- I'll hold her like this. - Okay, excellent.

Everyone smile and be happy, please,

- because this is the best day of the year! - Of my whole life...

- Is the owner, ready? - Yes, let's go, sure.

- Camera... - Great, thank you.

And action.

I start with the hand...

- And cut. - Listen, don't you find them...

- Was it good? - Maybe at the start when you...

Sorry, just a minor detail. Why don't we all turn round

so we don't have smoke and chimneys in the background,

but the landscape instead? Five minutes, tops.

Break.

Lunch break.

Mr. Director. Mr. Factory Owner.

- I'll have a bit... - Just a smidgen.

Naturally, Svit needs its own clinic, too.

As soon as possible. Dr. Kubák is getting tired of flying.

But there are many smart people in Svit...

Madame.

Monsieur.

Who could manage it.

Such as me.

63 stops.

Ten in Europe, five in Africa, 30 in Asia and 18 in America.

The largest commercial expedition ever undertaken by air.

- All right, but over how many days? - 116.

Wow, that must have been exhausting.

Adventure keeps you on your toes.

As I told the director, the amount of work that has been done here is breathtaking.

- You exaggerate. - Never.

And it's not just Alois's doing, it's every single one of you.

Some use their heads, some use their hands,

and some use their hearts, like Mrs. Hauptová here.

Let's hope my heart doesn't grow any more, or I'll pop.

- You have a witty wife. - It appears so, yes.

I heard you were even involved in the case of the dead foundling.

Your husband told me...

- Did he now? - He told me right after we arrived.

We had a good laugh when he mentioned it. What was it called...

Some exotic disorder...

- Herma... hermo. - Hermaphroditism.

Yes, exactly.

It went nowhere, unfortunately.

Unfortunately.

Well, someone has to check even the dead ends.

Well, the main thing is that the gentlemen from the army had better results.

We can be glad they're the ones protecting our company from danger.

We do our best.

Unnecessary modesty.

How long was it from your arrival until you tracked down the culprit?

A day? A day and a half?

It's a miracle!

Well, luckily it was resolved and we can now focus on the assembly.

Exactly.

- To the future of a great factory! - To your frequent visits!

It would have been a miracle if we hadn't had help from Alois.

Let our home be your home.

Even until you have eliminated all the communists in the world.

I don't mean accommodation. If Alois hadn't given us the suspect file,

we'd still be looking for them.

What folder?

We were, let's say, technically provided for.

It was thanks to his information that we knew who to go after. Thank you.

The gendarmes gave me the local miscreants'records,

- I merely passed it on. - And then the perpetrators were found.

That is great cooperation.

Such collaboration is a pleasure. Though, of course...

The wasted life is such a shame.

Don't be sad that your theory didn't work out.

Hermaphroditism... Don't slugs have that? Does it really exist in humans?

It's a rather complicated topic.

And not really worthy of spoiling one's meal over.

When we finish dining, I have a trip prepared for you.

These modern fantasies...

It's like some people have more whims than they know what to do with.

A woman is a woman, a man is a man

and what is traditional doesn't need changing.

Well, the question is, what is traditional?

Halakha, the Jewish law, recognizes six genders.

- For thousands of years. - Imagine that!

Zachar and nekevah are masculine and feminine.

And then there's tumtum, saris, then ay'lonit,

and what you are speaking of is called androgynos.

Certain nations of American aborigines have this as well.

The Indians refer to it rather poetically as "one with two souls."

Have you ever been to the Tatras? I want to show you something.

Call it what you will, I'll look and see.

There are men and women. And everything else is baloney.

- Or nature. - Excuse me?

No baloney. People are born that way. It's nature by definition.

Smallpox is nature, too, and it needs to be eradicated, right?

You are exceptionally stupid.

- Helena! - You shut up, all right?

What is the baby going to be?

I can guess the father's preference, but what would you like?

I don't care.

As long as it's healthy and not a cunt like her.

Helena!

If you'll excuse me, pregnancy has certain diuretic disadvantages.

Or advantages.

GREAT ARE THOSE WHO HAVE A GREAT GOAL!

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT

Excuse me, please.

Hang on.

Helena?

- Do you have to embarrass me? - Is that true?

It was you who pinned it on the communists?

You don't know what kind of pressure I am under.

Sorry, hundreds of people depend on me, Helena.

Will you find jobs for all of them if they shut us down? No.

Now just tell me you're doing it for our baby and I'll vomit.

Yeah.

You know what I should do?

Pack my things, take Saša, and go to Zlín.

Maybe I should even give birth and stay there.

Maybe it would slap some sense into you.

Hmm.

"Hmm" what?

Hmm, all right.

Go.

But you won't go, will you?

Don't worry, I won't stop you, but you're not going anyway.

Because you'll be no one in Zlín.

You'll be one of the many annoyed, frustrated mothers there.

And here? You're the director's wife. You're somebody.

Here they bow to you, want to have coffee with you, despite how you irritate them!

You know you'll smile, snuggle up and the husband will build you a clinic,

you'll be Mrs. Manager, Mrs. Director, Head Doctor or whatever the fuck you want!

But in Zlín? There are tons of great doctors!

And not just men.

Being a woman educated in medicine, Helena, does not make you special.

We have lots of great female doctors, and they all deserve clinics more than you!

Stop it.

You didn't even graduate, and it wasn't because of me.

You weren't smart enough, Helena. You weren't willing to put in the time.

Neither my influence nor your father's could actually save you, or am I wrong?

And you know what? I don't care!

I love you just the way you are.

But you don't love yourself at all.

You can't stand yourself. How ordinary, how mediocre you are,

like all the women you've always despised!

Unlike me, you've always had everything for free.

You were never poor, you never had to work.

And that's why you don't value anything. Everything is a joke.

You sabotage everything. Just for some...

So just take Saša and go to Zlín.

And tell everyone there how you, Helena Hauptová,

so unique, incredibly funny,

morally pure woman, suckered us all.

- I've brought you lunch. - Thank you.

I'll come for you at six.

Just look at that!

Gorgeous.

All that wood... it's just rotting here.

Getting this much wood to the sawmill would yield 250 cubic meters right away.

- Interesting. - A plan.

There'll be a railroad track down here in three years.

And water transport is even cheaper.

We can connect Bratislava and Košice with a single, big artificial river.

Rather hilly terrain for that, isn't it?

Just two words: navigation locks.

And a third word: tunnels.

The longest tunnel will be six kilometers long.

- Water tunnels, through the hills? - Sure. Right there.

Alois?

How is the baby?

Everything seems to be fine.

You'll just have to rest.

Thank you.

It's about to start.

So pull yourself together and come.

If you want to stop me, you're wasting your time.

Good day to you.

Are you feeling better?

If I had my way, I'd take you to Zlín myself.

- Who told you where I was going? - Your husband.

Oh, I've made tea. Would you like some?

Alois asked me to keep an eye on Mr. Matula while he hobnobs in Spoldom.

I'm not into hobnobbing anyway.

I'm supposed to be minding you too, but you're very clever,

- you'll run away from me or something. - Are you all right?

Thanks for minding us, but I'll take over now.

Saša is not going to Zlín, if that's what you mean.

We're waiting for the train.

- Train? - Home.

I suggested that we take him,

but Saša has a certain Baťa-like modesty about him.

He agreed to leave the factory.

Next week he'll receive his salary and such a generous severance package

that I'm thinking of getting pregnant and giving birth myself.

Did they threaten you?

They can't force you to do anything, Saša.

Our lives are ours, we can do whatever we want.

I'll wait outside.

In case you get in a fight or something.

Have some tea.

Saša...

If you are confused or...

if you have questions, we can still talk...

Thank you, but there was a lot in the book.

And?

Everyone in the book was dead.

If I'm dead, fine, let them cut me open and say what I am.

But I'm alive.

I don't know how else to explain it.

God didn't only create me between my legs,

but here, too.

And this is telling me I'm a man.

They've always told me I was strange...

that there was something wrong with me...

and that I should go out into the world where people are wiser.

But actually, I'm weird here too.

And they tell me how to behave,

how to look if anyone is to like me at all.

But I don't want to run away anymore.

I want to like myself as I am.

I'm sorry.

Can we go?

I need something from you.

You from me?

Would you bury your child there?

You might as well have thrown it on the dung heap.

I just gave it to the gravedigger.

Behind the fence is where they put suicide cases, the retarded, and the like.

"And the like."

If you want, I'll arrange for him to be moved to your village.

Maybe just a cross would do.

Would you give him this, please?

Who?

He'll find you.

The boy's right.

It's not worth running away, it's the same everywhere.

Not in Zlín.

Really?

I can't believe your parents would tolerate you more than Alois.

The older generation is even worse.

And when are you leaving?

The major and I accepted an offer.

The Zlín management liked how we resolved the situation.

So we will continue to see to the safety of the factory.

Come along.

I'll walk.

Rash decisions are the worst.

Mrs. Hauptová?

I didn't mean to... Here we go again.

- I won't disturb you. - No, it's all right.

Do you need anything?

Accounting deadline?

How's the head? It doesn't hurt anymore?

Where's Saša?

The painkillers.

You wanted them for him?

He didn't want to tell me what happened.

Just that he felt bad.

I...

I have something for you.

What does it say?

That he loves me.

Society is evolving.

Give it five or ten years.

We'll meet again up there, with the Almighty.

He'll understand us.

It has to happen sooner.

I do understand self-interest.

Couldn't we sell the land for more?

Couldn't you keep it for the cows, the pigs, the ducks...

Sure, you could.

But this isn't just about you or me, it's about the good of everyone.

Five years ago, this was just swampland useful to no one.

And imagine how much more we will build.

Imagine how much...

Imagine how much we can accomplish together.

Excuse me, but when I look at the director and his beautiful Helena,

I must speak more personally.

How much sacrifice does it take to venture into the unknown and build a city?

Because what you see all around is mostly their doing.

They are the glue that holds it all together.

If only out of respect for them, help out and sell the land.

What's more, if you do not sell,

I understand the director will have no warm dinner for a year.

If only just dinner!

No, but seriously, trust me.

This is when we need to come together.

We have to cancel swimming tomorrow.

I'm going by car.

To Zlín.

Nothing can stop us.

We are not only building a factory for synthetic fiber, you see?

We're building more.

We are building a new, modern Czechoslovak state.

We are building a better world!

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT

WE HAVE NEVER BEEN MODERN