Tereza Nvotová & Veronika Paštéková Discuss Filming the "Impossible" Forgotten Baby Syndrome Drama 'Father' - Contenders International

Slovak director Tereza Nvotov has made a powerful return to feature films with Father, a tightly woven family drama that premiered at the Venice Film Festival and later screened at Zurich and Stockholm, where it earned competition awards. Selected as Slovakias Oscar submission, the film follows Mikal (Milan Ondrk), a devoted father whose life is upended by a devastating mistake. On a sweltering summer day, Mikal drops his daughter off at preschool, only to receive a call hours later from his wife informing him that their child has disappeared. He eventually learns he has experienced forgotten baby syndrome, a rare memory lapse that has led to countless tragedies worldwide.

The story was first brought to life by producer Veronika Patkov, who introduced Nvotov to the concept after discovering forgotten baby syndrome. My friend, Dusan Budzak, who co-wrote the screenplay, had written a book about his best friends experience with this tragedy. That was my first encounter with forgotten baby syndrome, Patkov explained. She added that she approached Nvotov because of her admiration for the directors debut feature, Filthy, which premiered at Rotterdam in 2017. I was deeply moved by her storytelling and recognized her exceptional talent, Patkov said.

Nvotov described her initial reaction to the project as shocking. I had only seen news headlines and always assumed it was a case of negligence. I wasnt aware of forgotten baby syndrome or how human memory can fail in such profound ways, she noted.

At first, Nvotov admitted the project seemed almost impossible to bring to the screen. It felt too tragic to translate into a movie. Yet, even though my mind resisted, I couldnt stop thinking about this story, she said. Its not just about a single mistake; it touches on something deeper about the human experience.

She gradually discovered a way to shape the narrative, crafting a story that conveyed the dramatic events while raising broader philosophical questions. A key element was the films visual approach: long, deliberate takes with the camera often close to the characters. I wanted the audience to experience the story through the fathers perspective, to feel what it might be like if this happened to them, Nvotov explained. The goal was for viewers to live each moment of his reality.

Author: Ava Mitchell