Film Series :

1966, Vera Chytilová, Czechoslovakia, 74 min.

With Ivana Karbanová, Jitka Cerhová

Made during the height of the Czech New Wave, Chytilová's anarchic love letter to self-indulgent femininity landed like a firecracker. Beginning with its two young protagonists (both named Marie) coming to the realization that they must be "bad" to continue existing in a world that appears to be collapsing, DAISIES proceeds to mount a series of surreal sketches in which the Maries bilk rich men for free meals, steal from their neighbors, visit a butterfly collector, and destroy several banquets worth of food in their quest to break down social order and have as much fun as they can in the process. Chytilová captures her main characters' id-driven behavior with a style that leans into the chaos, moving freely between black-and-white and color, direct address, stock footage, and giddy, goofy dance numbers. In Czech with English subtitles. 35mm. (CW)