Directed by:
Vladimír MichálekCinematography:
Martin ŠtrbaComposer:
Michal LorencCast:
David Novotný, Josef Somr, Ľuboš Kostelný, Zuzana Stivínová, Lenka Vlasáková, Jiří Lábus, Mariana Kroftová, Luboš Veselý, Vladimír Hauser, Marie Málková (more)Plots(1)
A seemingly trivial situation: A son goes for a walk with his father. But, the son is in his forties, living his own life. The father is over 70. The only thing these two men seem to have in common is that they go for a walk together once a month. With brilliantly executed dialogue, the history of the 20th century and all its absurdities are revealed in front of our eyes. The deepest areas of human relationships are uncovered. The relationship between a father and son has never been described in such an interesting way: Two grown-up men who respect, hate, and love each other, all at once. There is nothing extreme about it, but it is something intimately familiar to anyone who has lived long enough to be able to talk with their fathers in middle age. The destinies of both the protagonists clash, mingle, and, immediately afterwards, move away by centrifugal force. For a moment, they are friends, for a moment a father and son, and for a moment, they are complete strangers… (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (4)
I really feel bad about just giving it an average review because it's filmed brilliantly. It's also dynamic and well acted. The theme of a walk to refresh the relationship between son and father is excellent. However, there are several "buts." For example, the history of the century reduced to first-republican capitalism and the later period, which is expressed only by the decision to go with the flow or not... This is as problematic as the rejuvenating skin of Josef Somr, who is excellent in his role, but at 73 shouldn't have to settle for hair dye or a comb-over to complete his younger self. On the way through Stromovka, unfortunately, the theme of a supposed ideal relationship also developed, with a quick bump into painful reality. Therefore, the Czechoslovak friendship was just an imaginary cherry on top, which had the bitter taste of the trotting Lábus, who seemed to continue in his role from Non Plus Ultras. I really didn't like that.
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Of Parents and Children fits into the current trend of non-genre films based on dialogues and dedicated to interpersonal relationships. However, the film stands out from existing below-average Czech films thanks to its craftsmanship, the authenticity of the mentioned dialogues, and the portrayed relationships. On the other hand, Vladimír Michálek has made better films, and certain motifs, such as the expected but problematic love scene between the protagonist's son and his partner, simply irritated me, and above all, I didn't believe in Ľuboš Kostelný in his role, despite all of his talent and acting effort. He simply seemed somewhat outgrown for a teenager. Overall impression: 75%.
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A warm, funny, ordinarily human, and, above all, apt and true film, presented through a polished form (the proven team of Michálek, Štrba, Lorenc, Hladík), which kindles one of the lights of hope that Czech cinema need not be used only as a swear word, but that there is still something to be said even about family relationships. 4 ½.
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The Somr/Novotný storyline is manna for the soul. It’s so convincing, perfectly written and outstandingly acted. It’s hard to believe, in fact, that these two aren’t really father and son. The storyline with Kostelný and Kroftová is a slap in the face to shake us out of our enthusiasm. It’s needless, over the top footage and, thanks to Kroftová being so tragically unconvincing, it’s almost irritating. But the paternal variation of Linklater works well, even so. Really well.
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