This simple story is the feature debut for well-known Slovak theater and television director Juraj Nvota. Set in a Slovak village at the turn of the last century, the story teems with passion, and repressed and hidden emotion. It delves into the search for identity, investigating both love and hatred, while dramatizing the tragic relationship between an adolescent girl (Tatiana Pauhofová) and her ambitious father (Ondrej Vetchý). Set against the striking though simple backdrop of a picturesque, even idyllic, landscape - one ostensibly cut off from any important historical, political, or social context whatsoever - the arrival of an unwanted individual evokes the onset of a cruel drama.
Unfortunately the movie Cruel Joys is not yet available on HBO Max.
| Directing | Juraj Nvota | Director |
| Writing | Scarlett Čanakyová | Screenplay |
| Sound | Ľubica Malachovská Čekovská | Music |
| Sound | Radim Hladík Jr. | Sound Mixer |
| Directing | Jana Garajová | First Assistant Director |
| Production | Marian Urban | Production Manager |
| Art | Peter Čanecký | Set Designer |
| Editing | Alois Fišárek | Editor |
| Costume & Make-Up | Mona Hafsahl | Costume Design |
| Costume & Make-Up | Juraj Steiner | Makeup & Hair |
| Sound | Igor Vrabec | Sound |
| Camera | Jan Malíř | Director of Photography |