The small Czech town of Třeboň found itself at the centre of unexpected international attention when the world-wide press picked up on an obscure urban legend from World War II, some 70 years after the event. The story concerns a nurse who was raped by a Nazi and contracted syphilis as a result. While tending other wounded soldiers, she seized her opportunity for revenge and systematically seduced them to pass on the deadly disease. She was so successful that eventually the gestapo had her executed. At least, this is the version told by the international press, but the residents of the town also have their own contradictory interpretations, including the local historian and even the man who erected the plaque in the first place.
“Black&White” pieces this story together through a collage of interviews with a group of locals. The film explores how the story came about in the first place, and how it evolved after it ended up in the news. Their reflections are visualised through a combination of excerpts from the history of cinema, together with animation, problematising the types of tropes and conventions used to depict the roles of women.