directed by Martin Šulík, bitter comedy, 95 min, eng subtitles
Set in the present, the four ordinary men in this story find themselves at crossroads in their lives. Karel, Tomáš, Milan, and Vinc were once seduced by the possibility of making money in Ostrava’s cosmopolitan melting pot. But times are changing - the company has offered their jobs to foreign workers. The friends try to solve their job loss by going into business themselves. But instead of the success they expected, they only sink deeper into debt and go through a number of unpleasant events that testify to their inexperience and naiveté. Even their private lives become complicated. Personal crises and an inability to adapt to new conditions are the hallmarks of life in the real world, an environment scarred by existential uncertainty in a once rich industrial city.
Awards:
Festival GoEast Wiesbaden 2006 (FIPRESCI Award)
Batumi IFF 2006 (Grand Prix)
Slovak National Film Awards 2006 (Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, Best Music, Best Editing, Best Sound)