Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Anna Geislerová | ... | Marcela Cmolíková (as Ana Geislerová) | |
Josef Abrhám | ... | Evzen Benes | |
Jana Brejchová | ... | Zdena | |
Jirí Schmitzer | ... | Richard | |
Emília Vásáryová | ... | Libuse Cmolíková | |
Roman Luknár | ... | Jarda Cmolík | |
Jan Hrusínský | ... | Havlík | |
Jirí Machácek | ... | Patocka | |
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Michaela Mrvíková | ... | Lucina Cmolíková |
Adam Misík | ... | Kuba Cmolík | |
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Jaromíra Mílová | ... | Havlíková |
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Raduza | ... | Zpevacka |
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Andrei Toader | ... | Mirek |
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Nikolay Penev | ... | Picus |
Ondrej Novák | ... | Policista |
A flood in Prague has damaged Marcela and Jarda's home. He behaves boorishly over their son's asthma so she threatens divorce and takes the kids to her mom's, a possessive woman whose husband is a creep. While Marcela is there, Jarda is jailed for possession of a stolen car (he's a mechanic who's turned his garage into a chop shop). Benes, the urbane man whose car it is, befriends Marcela, and soon she has options. Jarda's mother and her mother push her in opposite directions. Jarda has animal magnetism, Benes offers security, and her own body and mind may be at cross purposes. The Cold War is over, Czechs are free to behave well or badly. What's best? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
I recently saw this at the 2007 Palm Springs International Film Festival. The film's title and in fact much of the outline of the film is from the Robert Graves poem Beauty in Trouble. Jan Hrebejk directs a screenplay by Petr Jrchovský from a story by Hrebejk and Jrchovský. the story begins in 2002 when Prague is hit by one of those devastating 100 year floods that destroys the household of Marcela (Ana Ceislerová) and Jarda (Roman Luknár) and their two children Kuba (Adam Misik) and Lucina (Michaela Mrvikova). Because of the moldy conditions where they now live Kuba's asthma is life threatening. Marcela works and Jarda runs a chop shop out of the garage they live next to. Jarda's shady occupation runs him afoul of the law and one of his theft victims becomes infatuated with Marcela. Evzen Benes (Josef Abrhám) is a wealthy businessman who divides his time between Italy and the Czech Republic and offers to care Marcela and her two kids. Jana Brejchová is Marcella's mother who lives with her common-law husband called Uncle Richie played by Jirí Schmitzer in probably the film's best role. Rounding out this excellent cast is Emília Vasaryova as Jarda's mentally fragile mother who gives any money she gets to the local religious charlatan. There is a lot going on here for a small film and it's good story with a great script and a lot of comic relief. Ales Brezina provides the music score with additional music from Czech singer Raduza and Irish singer Glen Hansard. There is a lot to like about this film and I would give it an 8.0 out of 10 and recommend it.