The women here suffered and did not get divorced. Marriage was often decided by parents
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Helena Velichová (Velich in Romanian), née Kalinová, was born on 10 September 1941 in the Czech village of Šumice in the Romanian Banat. She grew up in a Catholic peasant family, her parents were František and Matylda Kalina. Her father earned his living repairing shoes. From her early childhood, she had to be involved in farm work. During the communist regime in Romania, they had to compulsorily hand over agricultural supplies to the state. She started school after the Second World War and completed four grades there, eventually working in a dairy factory in Jablanice (Iablanița). She married at the age of 15, the marriage was arranged by her parents. The couple then left the village for several years to work in agriculture in the Romanian village of Berliște, near Oravița. Two sons were born to them, who later went to the cities. However, the Velichs refused to move from the village and did not agree to sell off the farm. Helena Velichová lived in Šumice at the time of filming (September 2023).