Yes, there are fangs, cloaks, and a distinct fear of sunlight — but Valerie is not your typical horror film. The “vampires” here symbolize the predatory adults circling Valerie’s newfound sexuality. The grandmother, who drinks blood from a flask, is both protector and rival. The priest, with his long fingernails and hungry eyes, represents institutional hypocrisy. The carnival mask, the polaroid camera, the stolen kiss — every image pulses with the terror and ecstasy of growing up female.
"Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" is a 1970 Czechoslovakian surrealist film directed by Jaromil Jireš, based on a novel of the same name by Marie Luise Fischer. The film is a dreamlike, fantastical exploration of adolescence and identity. valerie and her week of wonders
The adults in Valerie’s life morph constantly. Her strict grandmother shifts into a blood-sucking vampire. A local missionary, Gracián, oscillates between a pious savior and a predatory monster. Her alleged father alternates between a supportive figure and a literal weasel-faced beast. Yes, there are fangs, cloaks, and a distinct
On its surface, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders follows a thirteen-year-old girl named Valerie, played by Jaroslava Schallerová. She lives in a timeless, pastoral 19th-century village. The entire plot unfurls over the course of seven days. The priest, with his long fingernails and hungry
In 2024, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders feels astonishingly fresh. Long before The Virgin Suicides or Let the Right One In , Jireš and screenwriter Ester Krumbachová (who also designed the film’s dreamlike costumes) created a feminist fairy tale that refuses to moralize. Valerie isn’t a victim. She’s curious, brave, and sensual — on her own terms.