Lovers in the Year One (1974): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1974, Lovers in the Year One is a drama and romance film directed by Jaroslav Balík, running about 95 minutes. “Czechoslovakia's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1974” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. It is the summer of 1945. A party of young people are enjoying the beginning of a new life to the full. For them this is the year one. One of them, law student Pavel, is more attracted to film than to law. With his eight-millimeter camera, he films everything that catches his attention. One day he captures an interesting face on film, a girl with an air of mystery. Pavel visits the girl, whose name is Helena, and meets hers and her elder energetic sister Olga. From Olga, he learns that the girls have spent the years of German occupation in a concentration camp and cannot forget the horrors they have lived through.

Who’s in it. Lovers in the Year One stars Marta Vančurová as Helena Poláková, Viktor Preiss as Pavel Krouza, Libuše Švormová as Olga and Petr Svojtka as Evzen, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, Lovers in the Year One sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Lovers in the Year One page.

If you liked it. Fans of Lovers in the Year One tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.