Loves with the Scent of Jedle

The documentary was Czech Television’s gift to the Jedlička Institute for the hundredth anniversary of its founding. It asks what kind of institution this is, how it has changed over a century, and what it has given to — and taken from — the people who have passed through it.

In just under an hour we follow everyday, amusing, absurd, awkward and extraordinary moments in the lives of several people connected with the institute, which everyone calls “Jedle” (Czech for “fir tree”). The small stories culminate in a wedding and a birth, and through them the film opens up the theme of love — between friends, partners and parents, love for Jedle and love of life.

The film is shot from a wheelchair user’s point of view; the history of the institute, which mirrors the absurd era and society of the twentieth century, is seen through a child’s eyes. In a witty and at times raw collage, laughter blends with melancholy and nostalgia.

Instead of sentimentality and emotional blackmail through deeply human stories, the filmmakers chose humour and love in every possible form. It is a film about people who “no longer have to pretend they are not here”, and about a life in which not even a wheelchair holds them back.