A young woman was killed in Prague on September 20, 2014 after suffering 13 stab wounds, many inflicted directly to the heart. Incredibly, this death was rule a suicide by local police, which sparked controversy and debate that continues more than a decade later.
Aneta, a new Czech true crime documentary covering the case directed by Jiří Sádek (Polednice), opens in local cinemas today and promises to shed new light on the investigation. It explores the unresolved questions surrounding the death of 23-year-old Aneta Rodová, who died in 2013 in Prague’s Letňany district.
The film documents a decade-long journey for Aneta’s mother, Anna Rodová, who has continued to seek clarity on her daughter’s case, as well as the detailed reinvestigation by Sádek and his team of journalists, filmmakers, and forensic experts. Over 1,000 pages of police documents were analyzed and translated for international review, with the filmmakers reaching out to experts from the U.S., UK, Germany, and France.
“I’m not an avid true crime fan, but Aneta’s case sparked in me an intense curiosity to understand what truly happened,” Sádek recently shared in an interview with Pražský deník, emphasizing the objective approach he took towards making the documentary. “As filmmakers, we aren’t judges; we have to keep our distance even as we empathize.”
The documentary has generated significant media attention in the Czech Republic as it casts a critical light on the original police investigation. The case was officially closed by authorities who cited insufficient evidence to pursue a murder investigation.
However, Anna Rodová and other voices in the film argue that this conclusion was premature and based on incomplete analysis of the available evidence. Rodová’s efforts to have the case reopened have so far been unsuccessful, though the release of Aneta could prompt renewed public interest and scrutiny of the original findings.
According to her mother, Aneta’s memory has been tainted by negative portrayals in the media and in the official record, which she hopes the film will help to counteract. “I hope this film shows the world who my daughter truly was, beyond the distortions of the investigation,” she says in the documentary.
Czech actress Vivien Machková plays the role of Aneta in reenactments of events leading up to her death. In interviews, Machková has spoken about the psychological impact of the role, noting how the dark and emotionally charged material weighed on her throughout the production.
The documentary, which blurs the lines between investigative documentary and thriller, highlights the resilience of those impacted by Aneta’s death while raising new questions about the case itself. Sádek noted that he was inspired by famed American documentarian Errol Morris.
“I personally love the documentary The Thin Blue Line by Errol Morris from 1988,” the director told Pražský deník. “To me, it’s the pinnacle of narrative true crime, even though it’s already a 35-year-old film. Morris showed how it could be done well.”
Produced by Jiří Tucek and distributed locally by Donart, Aneta is now playing in cinemas throughout the Czech Republic. An English-subtitled version has yet to make its way to local screens.
