The setting for this adaptation of 　　Anton Chekhov’s short story “Ward 　　Number Six” is a rural hospital, where 　　various bizarre beings come together. 　　This allegory about totalitarianism 　　also remained uncompleted. The fa- 　　mous Czech artist Ester Krumba- 　　chová contributed to this black-and- 　　white mosaic that oscillates between 　　a naturalistic description of human 　　wretchedness and a desire for free- 　　dom. The film, which only received 　　its final form after the fall of Commu- 　　nism, had its cinematic premiere in 　　November 1990.