STARS: Zdenek Sverak, Andrej Chalimon, Libuse Safrankova, Ondrej Vetchy.

STORY:

I really enjoyed this film. It’s so well done and unpretentious. Sometimes the simple things in life are often the best. Set in Prague in 1988, we meet Mr Louka (Zdenek Sverak), a struggling musician and confirmed bachelor who wholeheartedly enjoys the company of women, married or single, young or old. In his mid-fifties, his life is fairly settled and predictable, but he owes people money and desperately wants a car in ORDER to increase his chances of getting work. His friend and principal money lender Broz (Ondrej Vetchy) suggests a get-rich-quick scheme that ultimately backfires, saddling him with a five year old Russian boy, Kolya (Andrej Chalimon).

Apart from the obvious inconvenience of Kolya’s presence in Mr Louka’s bachelor pad, Czechoslovakia is currently `occupied’ by Russian troops so the boy’s background also causes some issues for him, in addition to the language barrier. Assorted complications result in police and social services involvement - I’m sure you get the idea. A story that could have been all over the place melds together seamlessly and delicately. Humour is used sparingly and to good effect. The boy is utterly adorable. I also really liked the way they chose to end the film, again, not overdone - just simple. You can watch this DVD more than once and it will still work it’s magic. I’d already seen this, which is why I wanted to review this copy. It’s still as satisfying second time around. Format is 16:9 widescreen, sound is DD 2.0. English subtitled.

I learned from the `making of’ documentary included in this package that the director, Jan Sverak, is the son of the actor playing Mr Louka, who also wrote the screenplay! It was obviously a rather intimate film-making experience. Maybe that’s where the heart of the story stems from.

EXTRAS

Apart from the standard chapter selection and some Madman propaganda, there is a 20 minute, behind the scenes documentary. It was worth watching as it revealed the connection between writer and director as mentioned above, and also discussed working with the child actor who played Kolya. It also explained how some of the more ambitious shots in the film were made. Makes you realise how much the film-making process can be taken for granted when watching the end product.

OVERALL

This is your classic tale of adult-child bonding, told with humour and sensitivity. It won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe in 1996 for Best Foreign Film. The acting is great, the setting beautiful. Yes - expect to need a couple of tissues for this one! Yet another simple European film that shows Hollywood `how it’s done’, and probably on a squillionth of the budget.