Czech director Věra Chytilová’s most famous film Daisies (1966) is a classic of avant-garde cinema. Seemingly childish and playful but with a searing undercurrent of transgressive politics, it is short but packs a punch above it’s weight. But the arrival of Daisies had been heralded by  Chytilová’s earlier films: notably A Bagful of Fleas (1962) and Something Different (1963).

A Bagful of Fleas is a mockumentary following a group of young women who live in a hostel and work in a textile factory. The story is told from the of Eva,  and we are shown the world through her eyes. Eva is a newcomer who is teased by the other occupants, but also offers a fresh eye on the events and personalities in the hostel as the girls go about their day playing, working, washing and fighting. There is something here that is of Jean Vigo’s Zéro de conduite (1933): a film that stays in the midst of a tribe of youngsters and demonstrates the complex interrelations and political wrangling that takes place there. Where Chytilová’s film differs is in the combination of youth and gender. The film has a main cast that is almost entirely female – and this is why her movie stands out – it gives voice to the silent: young, female workers. Speaking of which…

Something Different also has a strong female focus, but this time two women who are older than the cast of  A Bagful of Fleas. Something Different is split in two – one half telling the story of a woman who is bored by marriage and ignored by her husband and who slips into a love affair. The second half is a documentary about a gymnast, Eva Bosáková, training for a competition under the instruction of a demanding and cynical male trainer. The two are spliced together – so we can see the two poles of male control: the former through passivity, the latter through control and attention. The cutting between the two narratives means that the viewer pays attention, Chytilová expertly using contrasts in both the subject matter and the form to give the overall film energy.

Each of these films are engaging and thought-provoking, but their real impact comes from how they expose and critique the ways women are treated in society. A Bagful of Fleas is perhaps the most politically charged of the two, but the unusual construction of Something Different gives it an edge that really stands out. Watch in a triple bill with Daisies.