Daisies (film)

Daisies (Czech: Sedmikrásky) is a 1966 Czechoslovak satirical avant-garde surrealist farcical arthouse comedy film written and directed by Věra Chytilová. Widely regarded as a milestone of the Czechoslovak New Wave movement, the film follows two young women, both named Marie (played by Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová), as they engage in a series of bizarre, rebellious and anarchic pranks. Originally conceived as a satire of bourgeois decadence, the film critiques societal norms and those who rigidly adhere to rules. Chytilová described the film as "a necrologue about a negative way of life." Daisies also subverts traditional gender stereotypes, redefining its heroines on their own terms. The film is noted for its critique of Communism, censorship, and patriarchy, and it was banned from theaters and export in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It is widely regarded in lists as one of the best surrealist, comedy and art-house movies, one of the best Czech movies, one of the finest European pictures, one of the films directed by a woman, as well as one of the greatest movies ever made.