Only Beautiful Things to Look At Review: A Handsome but Muffled Portrait of State-Sanctioned Cruelty
Originally published Jul 11, 2026
By Jessica Kiang · Variety
AI-generated summary based on Variety · Aggregated by Filmarian · Human-reviewed and approved on Jul 11, 2026
Key points
- The film meticulously recreates 1980s Czechoslovakia's aesthetics during a period of state-sanctioned Roma suppression.
- The visual presentation is striking but lacks emotional depth to convey the gravity of the historical events.
- The film's aesthetic appeal overshadows its narrative, creating a sense of distance from the harsh realities depicted.
Slovakian filmmaker Ivan Ostrochovský's 'Only Beautiful Things to Look At' meticulously recreates the fashion and interior design of 1980s Czechoslovakia, a time when the state implemented a racist program to suppress the Roma population through forced sterilization. While the film's visual presentation is striking, it lacks the emotional depth needed to fully convey the gravity of the historical events it portrays. The film's aesthetic appeal overshadows its narrative, leaving the audience with a sense of distance from the harsh realities depicted.
Read the original story: Variety — by Jessica Kiang