Sekal Has to Die (1998)
"Je treba zabít Sekala" (original title)

Director:

Vladimír Michálek

Writers:

Jirí Krizan (story), Jirí Krizan (screenplay)

Stars:

Olaf Lubaszenko, Boguslaw Linda, Jirí Bartoska

18 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Olaf Lubaszenko	...	Jura Baran
Boguslaw Linda	...	Ivan Sekal
Jirí Bartoska	...	Father Flora
Agnieszka Sitek	...	Anezka
Vlasta Chramostová	...	Marie
Ludovít Cittel	...	Barber Záprdek
Martin Sitta	...	Oberva Jr.
Jirí Holý	...	Oberva Sr.
Milan Riehs	...	Mayor
Anton Sulik	...	Vcelný
Josef Bulík	...	Koukol
Bohuslav Licman	...	Sehnálek
Gustav Nezval	...	Stverák
Gustav Vondracek	...	Otáhal
Zdenek Kozák	...	Susil

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | rural | illegitimate child | suicide | land theft

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Czech Republic Slovakia France Poland

Language:

Czech

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Sekal Has to Die

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apple Film Productions, Barrandov Biografia, Buc-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min 110 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Czech Republic's official submission to 71st Academy Award's Foreign Language in 1999.

User Reviews

A terrific film

This terrific Czech movie was a wonderful surprise. Set in a small, isolated Czech village during World War II, it does not focus on the war but instead on how the distant war could deeply impact such a remote place and its reclusive inhabitants. Within that background, the story is a powerful one, straightforward but not simple. The characters lead simple lives but are complex individuals, and the tensions between them are palpable.

The acting is superb (the two male leads and female lead are all Polish actors). And cinematically, the movie is very well made.

Some viewers, particularly Americans accustomed to action- oriented dramas, might say the film moves too slowly. Not so. It moves perfectly, inextricably towards its surprising end. This is altogether first-class work.