The setting for this adaptation ofAnton Chekhov’s short story “WardNumber Six” is a rural hospital, wherevarious bizarre beings come together.This allegory about totalitarianismalso remained uncompleted. The fa-mous Czech artist Ester Krumba-chová contributed to this black-and-white mosaic that oscillates betweena naturalistic description of humanwretchedness and a desire for free-dom. The film, which only receivedits final form after the fall of Commu-nism, had its cinematic premiere inNovember 1990.