Infused with the spirit of rock ’n’ roll and rebellion, this music-driven counterculture snapshot unfolds to a near wall-to-wall soundtrack of late 1960s-early 1970s Hungarian psych and folk as it traces the odyssey of a young woman (Schallerová, star of the Czech New Wave classic Valerie and Her Week of Wonders) who, on the eve of her marriage to a factory worker (Zala), experiences a final moment of freedom when she runs away with a touring band. One of Márta Mészáros’ most formally experimental works due to its minimal dialogue and almost proto-music video style, DON’T CRY, PRETTY GIRLS! reflects the cultural sea change sweeping Europe at a time when traditional values were being shaken by a youthquake of individual self-expression. – Janus Films