My Sunny Maad

When the young Czech Helena falls in love with the Afghan Nazir, she leaves her homeland behind to marry him. From then on, she lives in post-Taliban Afghanistan and calls herself Herra, her blonde hair covered by a headscarf. She shares a house in Kabul with Nazir’s entire family: the wise and sympathetic grandfather, her mother-in-law, Nazir’s sister, her violent husband and their four children. It soon becomes clear to Herra that her role as a woman in Afghan society is much more restrictive than she had imagined. The fact that she does not get pregnant puts an additional strain on her marriage to Nazir. But then the couple

adopt Maad, an orphan boy living on the street, who turns their family life upside down.

Together, Herra and Maad learn to make themselves heard and to stand up for themselves

and others.

Michaela Pavlátová’s art makes a vast contribution to “My Sunny Maad”. With a simple but touching style, she tells a moving, informative and accessible story without an ounce of melodrama. Told through the eyes of Maad and Herra, the film takes an observational perspective, as they are both welcomed into the family in the role of outsiders. The narrative is strewn with several creative, dreamlike scenes that lend the film a certain lightness. Michaela Pavlátová’s short films have earned her an Oscar nomination, a Golden Bear in Berlin and a Cristal in Annecy, among others. Two of her short films have been screened at Fantoche: “Tram” (2012) and “Forever and Ever” (1998). (Sarah Schwedes)