Black Peter

Czech filmmaker Milos Forman displays his genius in his first film, a meditation on war and independence. As Communism wields its iron fist, teenager Petr (Ladislav Jakim) is much more preoccupied with his miserable day-to-day existence. He hates his father (Jan Vostrcil) for coercing him to work as a spy in a grocery store; trying to nab shoplifters, however, does little to lift the soul. But, as Petr finds, neither does a repressive government.