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History of Illness

In a hospital undergoing renovations, Jošt’s desire to understand his tic spirals into the surreal.

synopsis

In the midst of hospital renovations, sensitive Jošt is spending his day trying to find out more about the tic of his left eye that, for some reason, won’t show itself in front of medical personnel. Meanwhile, a surgeon is struggling to explain an intuitive feeling caused by a bad dream, while a hungry patient is waiting for his surgery that keeps getting postponed. On the same day, the main nurse for quality control gets a birthday surprise, even though her birthday was last month, a determined pigeon is trying to get inside the hospital, and a thirsty patient keeps struggling to reach her glass of water. By next morning, the leftovers of a strawberry cake will cause an allergic reaction, Jošt will wet his bed and two people will die.

Director’statement

History of Illness is an absurdist comedy built upon years of personal notes and experiences with the medical system. The story is set around three insecure characters whose experiences are loosely connected. Jošt who is desperately trying to maintain an image of patient competency, a surgeon, who is concerned with remaining professional amidst a spiritual crisis, and a main nurse for quality control who struggles with being liked even though her job is a highly unlikable position. These characters affect each other in significant ways even though their storylines are separate. Alongside them we get to meet a large web of twenty-plus secondary characters who all spend their days at the hospital. The hospital itself is an important character, and I would compare it to a fragile living organism, seemingly perfect but subject to fault – which is one of the ongoing themes of this film.

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