directed by Marek Najbrt, absurd comedy, 113 min, eng subtitles
written by Robert Geisler, Benjamin Tuček, Marek Najbrt
with Tomáš Matonoha, Josef Polášek, Pavel Liška, Marek Daniel, Jan Budař, Katarzyna Zawadska
Four Czech comic performers decide to work together on a film in which they will play themselves. They attract financing in Poland on the condition that they cast a Polish actress as their co-star, but as they start filming, all kinds of problems arise. For one thing, the Polish financiers decide that Czech humor is "all Greek" to them. Pavel develops a speech impediment, which disappears when he starts speaking Polish. Tomas is having major financial problems that spill over into the production. And the actors' romantic entanglements add to the chaos of the shoot. Although the actors play themselves, the plot complications are clearly fictional-or are they? Part of the fun of the movie is trying to guess just how much is real and how much is invented. Clearly it is easier for Czech audiences to catch all the in-jokes, but the satiric look at moviemaking will draw laughs from the local audience. In addition, the absurdist humor about travel nightmares, GPS navigational systems, TV game shows, and sexual duplicity will tickle viewers of any nationality.
Awards:
Karlovy Vary IFF 2012 (Special Mention)