Honeymoon (2013)

It should have been the best day of her life, but then a strange guest with a stranger claim entered the marriage merriment. About the shadows which catch up with each of us.

Director:

Jan Hrebejk

Writer:

Petr Jarchovský

Stars:

Anna Geislerová, Stanislav Majer, Jirí Cerný

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Geislerová	...	Tereza
Stanislav Majer	...	Radim
Jirí Cerný	...	Benda
Kristýna Nováková	...	Renata
David Máj	...	Milan
Jirí Sesták	...	Karel
Jana Radojcicová	...	Marie
Matej Zikán	...	Dominik
Zdenek Dusek	...	Stanislav
Eva Kukucková	...	Ivana
Borivoj Cermák	...	Filip
Monika Svadbová	...	Johanka
Daniela Choderová	...	matka Filipa
Tadeás Mach	...	Lubosek
Juraj Nvota	...	Farár

Storyline

A psychological drama from the present day, in which the fate of the characters is swayed by hidden guilt, is a story about the impossibility of keeping the past hidden from others, and especially from oneself. The story starts at a marriage of a couple in their thirties, Radim and Tereza. Among the marriage guests appears Jan, local optician and a character whose relation to the newlyweds is unknown. He is considered to be one of many friends of Radim and Tereza by the guests at first, but his unnerving behavior and remarks create a thick air, dangerous even. The uninvited guest has not appeared by chance and gradually it's revealed he's tied to the groom by common infancy and coming of age in a boarding school. A story of brutal bullying resulting in a suicide appears from the past... An intimate psychological thriller situated in a sunny summer marriage in the country.

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | newlyweds | high school classmate | ex classmate ex classmate relationship | bully | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Czech Republic Slovakia

Language:

Czech

Release Date:

22 August 2013 (Czech Republic)

Also Known As:

Honeymoon

Filming Locations:

Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

EUR1,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$463,049

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fog'n'Desire Films, K Film plus

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Cat People (1982)

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Soundtracks

Stabat Mater
Written by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Performed by Sebastian Henning, René Jacobs and Concerto Vocale
(p) Harmonia Mundi, 1983

User Reviews

Is there a statute of limitations for evil adolescent behavior?

The Czech film Líbánky was shown in the U.S. with the title Honeymoon (2013). It was directed by Jan Hrebejk.

The movie begins with a church wedding in a small Czech town. The wedding celebration takes place at a nearby estate owned by the bride's father. (The title "Honeymoon" is misleading. The action all takes place during the prolonged celebration.)

The bride, Tereza (Anna Geislerová) and the groom, Radim (Stanislav Majer), make an attractive couple. The groom has an adolescent son by a previous marriage. The boy appears to have a good relationship with his father and new stepmother, and everything is proceeding smoothly.

However, an uninvited guest at the wedding--Jan Benda, played by Jirí Cerný--casts a pall on the celebration. He doesn't actually do or say anything hostile, but he somehow manages to transmit a sense of menace.

We learn that Jan Benda has a grievance against the groom, which he shares with the bride and with us little by little as the movie progresses. The denouement of the film is frightening and somewhat brutal. The question remains whether--once the truth is known--the couple will maintain the relationship that we saw at the beginning of the movie.

We watched this film at the Dryden Theatre as part of Image Out--the Rochester LGBT Film Festival. The early scenes will probably work better on the large screen, but the dramatic parts of the film will work equally well on the small screen.