Directed by:
Martin ŠulíkCinematography:
Martin ŠtrbaComposer:
Vladimír GodárCast:
Peter Simonischek, Jiří Menzel, Zuzana Mauréry, Anita Szvrcsek, Anna Jakab Rakovská, Evelyn Kramerová, Réka Dérzsi, Anikó Vargová, Andrej Sebastián Šulík (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
An 80-year-old translator, Ali Ungár, comes across a book written by a former SS officer recounting his war experiences in Slovakia. Ali realises that one of the chapters may well describe his own parents’ execution. And so, armed with a pistol, he sets off to Vienna to look for the SS man and take his revenge. But once there, the only person he encounters is the man’s 70-year-old son Georg, a former teacher who has spent his whole life avoiding his father and suffering from an addiction to alcohol. The translator’s visit arouses Georg’s curiosity and he decides to invite Ali on a trip through Slovakia. But whilst Georg is basically out to have a good time, Ali is hoping to find out how his parents really died. Gradually, these two very different men begin to warm to each other and together, they discover a country that would prefer to forget about its past. (Berlinale)
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Reviews (4)
You can never have enough films about the Slovak state, and this one is particularly charming. There will always be a bitter-sweetness associated with the passing of Herz and Labuda and the acting of Menzel. Thank you for the experience.
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I watched the film as an impartial viewer, and I must say that I quite enjoyed its form. There could have been fewer scenic rides through the Slovak countryside, though.
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Certainly an interesting subject, which undoubtedly deserved a bit more creative treatment or at least punchier dialogues. From an acting perspective, I have practically nothing to criticize, the shots of the Slovak landscape are quite nice, and the musical accompaniment is appropriate to the theme. However, that doesn't change the fact that I found myself somewhat bored by this reminiscence road movie until the not-very-satisfying ending.
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The topic is extremely interesting in this case. The stigmas of the war are the main theme, and the story revolves around the son of a former SS man and a Slovak Jew, whose family was murdered by none other than this SS man. In terms of casting, it’s a Central European delicacy. Messrs. Menzel and Simonischek were an absolutely perfect choice. However, it is a pity that the film lacks more distinct dialogues. It features scenes that make you not only wonder about the absurdity of the situation, but also about the satisfaction Menzel’s characters feels. Considering its topic, however, it remains a very classical road movie, where I could imagine some venomous dialogues that would make me bate my breath. As it is, however, it seems as though someone is taking their last breath. Given the interesting topic, there are a precious few scenes worthy of remembering.
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