Smearhead

Czechoslovakia, 1921. In a mining colony in the Sudetenland, young miner Petr breaks safety rules, causes an accident with a pit pony, and is sent to the deepest part of the mine. There, in the darkness, he experiences visions that no one else can explain. His altered state unsettles the community and turns him into a disturbing figure - a dangerous madman or pure mystic. Afterwards, further accidents occur around Petr, culminating in the fatal death of one of the miners, and fear spreads through the community. Rational explanations fail, and Petr becomes the bearer of collective anxiety and guilt. Johana, a charismatic theosophist, reframes Petr’s visions as prophecy, offering meaning where others see illness or danger. As faith turns into ideology, Petr begins to break down. Only Anna, his former fiancée, rejects this myth and stands by the man everyone else is willing to sacrifice.