Die Haube

Il’ka, a woman from the village of Šumiac in Slovakia, is 85 years old today. She has always worn traditional dress, and she remembers her life only as work. After a phone conversation with her, Katarína travels regularly from Bratislava to the mountains for over two years to learn embroidery and sewing from Il’ka. Eventually, a cap is created that covers Katarína's head, leaving not a single hair visible. Engaging with her personal past, the Roma she encounters, the villagers in the shop, on the street, behind the windows of their homes, and the history of Slovakia during this transition from city to countryside, allows Katarína to gain a new perspective on herself.

Il’ka exemplifies all the women of Eastern Europe who must submit to the constraints of their origins, have little to no education, are not allowed to marry the man they love, yet bear children, raise them, and always work—for money, for family, for others—women who grow old and continually rise to live and tell their stories, so that the past is always closer to them than the present, until finally a unique book emerges, among other things asking the question: What does folklore mean today for each of us?.