Simon Holy turns drag into tender politics in 'Chica Checa'
Czech filmmaker Šimon Holý turns drag, family bonds and small-town village life into a tender political statement in his crowd-pleasing feature "Chica Checa," which screens Saturday in Karlovy Vary's Crystal Globe Competition. When a Paris-based drag queen comes out to his mail-carrier mother, acceptance—not outrage—drives the story Holý spent seven or eight years developing.
Key Takeaways
- Chica Checa follows widow Zdena and her son Lukáš, a drag performer hiding his identity from his small-town mother until a grandmother's dying wish forces the truth into the open.
- Holý and producer Alžběta Janáčková aimed to confront homophobia gently, but editing revealed the film's sharp political edge amid rising anti-LGBTQ pressure in Europe and the U.S.
- Pavla Tomicová and Jan Cina anchor the mother-son bond; Cina created a new drag persona, La Chica, after workshops with a choreographer and drag queen Just Karen.
- Pluto Film is selling the Silk Films production, co-produced with Arina Film, the French Connection and Czech Television, which faces funding and independence threats.
What Is 'Chica Checa' About?
Widow Zdena lives quietly in a Czech village as a mail carrier, visiting her hospitalized mother and denying her loneliness. She summons Lukáš from Paris before his grandmother dies, unaware he earns a living as drag queen Chica Checa—"Czech Girl"—or that he is gay.
For his grandmother's wish to hear a famous singer, Lukáš performs in drag at the hospital. What follows, according to Variety, is a lovely portrait of mother and son as Zdena looks beyond gossiping neighbors toward new happiness.
Why Did Holý Call the Film Political?
Holý wrote, directed and scored the film over years that began alongside his debut Mirrors in the Dark. He and Janáčková initially saw a warm, multi-generational conversation—not a political tract.
During editing, Karlovy Vary topper Karel Och told them it was "very political." Holý, also a Prague Pride music programmer, cites renewed right-wing pressure on LGBTQ+ communities, Trump-era backlash, and Czech government moves against public television's editorial independence and audiovisual funding.
That backdrop shapes the film's festival launch as Pluto Film seeks distribution. For more global cinema coverage, see our Streaming & TV Alerts hub.
Who Brings the Mother-and-Son Story to Life?
Holý resisted casting Pavla Tomicová after working with her before, but she persisted until an impromptu reading with Jan Cina proved magical in ten seconds. Tomicová framed the story as one of otherness and maternal fear, not just coming out.
Holý wanted vibrant yellow tones—not the cold, depressive village palette common in Czech social realism—and asked Tomicová for expressive, emotional performances suited to drag's theatricality.
How Did Jan Cina Embrace Drag on Screen?
Cina initially worried about typecasting after a TV Madonna impersonation, but Holý argued Czech cinema had never centered a drag story or fully realized gay characters. Cina trained with Just Karen and a choreographer, fell in love with drag, and launched his own persona, La Chica—creating a character rather than fulfilling someone else's vision.