Cosy Dens

As a person who's been in Czech Republic and knows many Czechs, I say this movie reflects a lot from the genuine Czech lifestyle.

The framing when switching from one family to another is splendid, and the characters are absolutely brilliant. An average person could say Jindra's father is a little bit exaggerated, but I found my own father in him so I can relate. Czech family structure and its orientation with the iron curtain culture is elegantly touched. Also, the sad fact that some people unfortunately have to leave their homes and move abroad is another major issue of this movie. I believe anyone from a country that has a lot of negative immigration will feel something different watching it.

Another success of the director is that, the scenes spend a lot of time with the Christmas time. But it never gets boring. What I'm looking for in a movie is depth, (which is why I don't really fancy most American movies) and it's present in this one. Social issues, relationships, politics, traditions, everything! In addition to all this, Kristyna Novakova has an outstanding performance, and to me she's a starlet with a bright future.

Czech this movie out! You won't be disappointed...

Now THAT is a Czech film. While Kolja, a 1996 Czech film was specifically edited by the British co-producers to strip it of some very Czech elements which were culturally hard to understand for foreign audiences, this one is the real thing. Figures that while Kolja was showered with foreign prizes incl. the Oscar, this one got nothing significant abroad as far as I am aware. No matter, this is a seriously funny and sad film which will tell you a lot about the Czech sense of humour. Many passages sadly won't be that accessible without knowing the culture and history well, and inevitably, lots gets lost in translation, but you may still find it satisfying.

i saw pelisky in 2000 at the international film festival in aukland, new zealand. almost 5 years later, having only seen the film that one time, i cannot forget how much i loved it. wonderfully funny and tragic, extremely well-acted, by far the best foreign language film in the festival. it was the the highest grossing czech film of the year at the czech box office, third only to titanic and kolya. unfortunately, i'm not sure if it made it into any American theatres and i have not been able to locate a copy since i returned home. if at all possible you get your hands on a copy of pelisky, i promise you will adore this film.

In last few days I've made my own home festival of Czech movies. Today in cue was Hrebejk's "Pelisky". Some times ago I've watched his Musime Si Pomahat so I expect great film. But today's movie touched me very deep, reminding some moments from my life. I was born in 1952 so in 1968 I was in same age as young characters of the movie. In august I was on my holidays in the little town in south Poland where my granny lived - just about 150 km from the border of Czechoslovakia. For the rest of my life I will remember the sound of the soviet warplanes heard 20/21 August. I've been watching this movie with the tears in my eyes. I knew all the songs from the CSR big-beat groups because in 1967/68 I've everyday listen the Stanice Hviezda from Ostrava - 80 km from my home town. Really, really great movie. Understandable not only for the Czech & Slovak people.

I really enjoyed watching this movie. I found this gem by accident and I'm surprised that it hasn't found it's way to a major audience here in Germany although quite a few Czech movies run on public television. The movie is funny and witty but at times also sad and deadly serious. Like many other Czech movies the story is made up of small parts that fit together as a whole picture. There's the stubborn army officer a convinced communist and his family, there's the war hero that strongly opposes the communist regime a choleric and his family and the single teacher and her son who try to find a new man for the family and there are the teenagers of those families that don't really care about politics or what their parents think is important. Those are the main characters that form a whole picture of life in Czechoslovakia during the Prague spring in 1968. The stories switch at easy from funny to hilarious to sad and back. I recommend this movie to everyone to watch. It is certainly worth the time. Other reviews state that you have to be Czech to fully understand everything. Well, I could relate to the characters as well though I might have missed a cultural reference or two.