The film consists of six short stories that recount bizarre, tragic, comical, or simply strange events. It’s about bomber pilots facing moral dilemmas, sex in a taxi, unfaithful wives, button-pickers (we don’t want to give too much away), heartbreak, people with special “abilities,” guilt and atonement—and actually much more besides. Somehow, all the episodes are interwoven, but you only discover that bit by bit. This isn’t about special effects at all; rather, the stories unfold at a leisurely pace, allowing you to truly savor the unexpected twists.
The film was the big box-office hit of 1997; at the very least—as we know from eyewitnesses—it provided plenty of conversation, especially among young people. With its blend of laconic undertones and occasional philosophical depth, it marked the beginning of a series of comparable—though not similar—works by Petr Zelenka from that era, which we’ve also featured in our program (Samotáři, Rok ďábla, Příběhy obyčejného šílenství).
This film will be shown as part of the “Czech Film Wednesday” series, as always in the original version with German subtitles.
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