‘Better Go Mad in the Wild’: The Karlovy Vary Winner That Breaks Every Rule

July 13, 2025: Slovak director Miro Remo has defied genre norms with his Karlovy Vary Film Festival Grand Prix winner Better Go Mad in the Wild, a hybrid of documentary, drama, fantasy, and fairytale. The film follows the extraordinary lives of twin brothers František and Ondřej Klišík, who live deep in the Šumava wilderness, far from conventional society.

“They live poems instead of writing them,” Remo says of the duo, who are descendants of Slovaks from Romania. Inspired by a book by Aleš Palán, the filmmaker spent five years intermittently with the brothers, capturing their raw, surreal world—complete with wrestling matches, philosophical debates, and even a narrating cow.

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Remo deliberately avoids typical social drama, choosing instead a magical, adult fairytale lens. While themes like alcohol abuse surface, they’re framed in an unconventional way: “In our fairytale, substances take a lot from you—but they also give something back,” he says, emphasizing the brothers’ right to live life on their own terms.

At its core, the film is about freedom, art, and the complexity of human connection. The twins made only one request—to be allowed to walk away anytime—but ultimately stayed, forming a deep bond with Remo. “Franta and Ondra are true artists,” he reflects. “And sometimes, yes—it’s better to go mad in the wilderness.”