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In 2009, then-22-year-old director Tomás Rehorek made a bit of a splash on the festival circuit with his debut feature Changes . While there has been no shortage of excellent Czech cinema in recent years, much of it—including Divided We Fall, I Served the King of England, and Protector—still dwells on World War II or the Cold War. Rehorek’s film is a modern, urban assembly of four interwoven storylines, mixing a young couple unable to conceive, a single mother flailing to make ends meet, a middle-aged track coach emptied of confidence, and an aged spinster wasting away in her farmhouse. The visual style—on-the-run cinematography cutting between street life, domestic anguish, and religious iconography—is colorful and manic, not unlike Danny Boyle at his jumpy best. How the four plots combine isn’t exactly clear, but Rehorek’s early command of color and music is gripping.
CHANGES SCREENS AS PART OF THE CZECH EMBASSY’S “LIONS OF CZECH FILM” SERIES AT 8 P.M. AT THE AVALON THEATRE, 5612 CONNECTICUT AVE. NW. $11. (202) 966-6000.