ČERNÁK

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Miki's criminal activities flourish; his position at the helm of his organisation seems unassailable. Even the police officers who are supposed to be shadowing him are under his influence and follow his orders. The feuds and power struggles between the various mafia groups in Slovakia escalate dramatically however, with countless car bombs, daylight executions, and a severed head placed in public as an unmistakable threat. Miki finds himself involved in struggles for a new order and the redivision of the country and quickly makes enemies – both amongst his rivals and within the Slovak secret service, the latter no less reliant on dubious means and methods. For his insatiable lust for power and arrogant self-confidence, Miki ends up paying a heavy price.

No less successful at the Slovak box office than its predecessor, ČERNÁK continues the story of Mikuláš Černák, who remains in prison to this day. Combining action-packed gangster film and political thriller elements, director Jakub Kroner tells of a time when unimaginable criminal violence reigned in the country, of the politicians who were complicit therein, and of a rapid rise to power followed by an abrupt fall from grace.

Text: Merlin Webers

Sun 09.11. I 19:30 I KAMMERBÜHNE I original version with English subtitles + simultaneous German translation