When the Cat Comes

A 1963 Czechoslovak surrealist fantasy comedy-drama film that follows a narrator's tale of a tiny village whose lives change drastically after the arrival of a strange circus troupe and their magical cat. Robert, a school teacher, is forced to confront his own true nature when the town's inhabitants are revealed in all their colorful hues, leading to chaos and transformation. As Robert navigates this surreal world, he finds himself entranced with an actress named Diana, but must outsmart the town's oppressive forces to be with her. In the end, a restored sense of community is born from the ashes of the cat's transformative power.