Jadviga's Pillow

Ondris (Bodó) and his Slovakian friends drunkenly celebrate his prospective marriage. Jadviga the bride (Tóth) is clothed, with deliberate care, in traditional Hungarian finery. A sense of palpable anticipation builds. Jadviga's a woman with secrets. It isn't long before the differences between the strong, passionate wife and her doting, but weak and impetuous husband lead to a rift. Disaster beckons. The tale, from a novel by Pál Závada, is set against a backdrop of violence and secession in the period before and during WWI. The fractured relationship of the antagonists, their friends and family is reflected in that of war-torn Hungary, riven by power struggles between monarchists, communists and Slovakian nationalists.