Can a century-old opera open a debate about motherhood in the 21st century? Europe’s youngest opera director, Veronika Kos Loulová, reimagines Janáček’s Jenůfa through the lens of postpartum mental health struggles, experienced by around one in five mothers. She invites women for whom motherhood brought anxiety, depression or psychosis instead of expected happiness to join the production. When they step onstage alongside professional opera singers, bringing their own experiences and authenticity to the story, the response is fierce. The film follows women who choose to break the silence and asks: Why is the fact that motherhood is not always a happy story still such a powerful taboo?

Writer / Tereza Tara

Completion date / December 2027

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