directed by Bohdan Sláma, tragicomedy, 114 min, eng subtitles
The simple story takes place over a period of several autumn days in a small village in Northern Moravia. There, the eighteen-year-old Kája lives with his grandmother and philosophizing father (a train dispatcher), and spends his time working in the forest, helping around the house and thinking about Božka, the kiosk saleswoman, with whom he is deeply in love. This unconventional girl goes out with Laďa, the local swinger and a fanatic Michael Jackson fan, and the devoted and bashful fellow, it could be said, doesn’t even stand a chance. Things slowly begin to change when Kája’s older brother comes back from Prague after dropping out from university, to his father’s deep disappointment. He is also, in all likelihood, the father of Jana’s child, Božka’s kiosk colleague. With Petr’s encouragement, Kája manages to win Božka’s affection, when the intelligent Božka, tired with her relationship with the juvenile Laďa, the boring work and sharing a miserable household with her loose mother, feels in the innocent youngster at least a momentary freshness in her fleeting existence. She accepts his invitation to the dance and spends the night with him, while at the same time Jana also gets back together with Petr. In the morning however, each pair separates, fully convinced that their lives will now go back to the same worn track.
Awards:
IFF Rotterdam 2002 (Best Film)
IFF San Francisco 2002 (SKYY Prize for Best New Director)
IFF Arsenals Riga 2002 (Best Film)
IFF Cottbus 2002 (Best Film)
IFF Soci 2002 (Grand Prize)