Upcoming Events
Czech Films at the Seattle International Film Festival
The Country Teacher
June 4, 7:00pm, Harvard Exit; June 6, 1:30pm
Harvard Exit
Petr, the title character of The Country Teacher, turns down a job at a prestigious school in Prague to move to an isolated, rural village to teach natural science. Early on it’s revealed that Petr is gay, but out of fear of persecution in the village and ambivalence about his sexuality, Petr keeps it quiet. After all, he’s left the wild parties and casual hookups of city life behind. When friend and landlady Marie signals her romantic interest, Petr gently demurs, letting her believe that she’s too old for him. Meanwhile Petr tries to repress his secret desire for Marie’s insolent 17-year-old son, Lada, who spends his days making out with his girlfriend in the hayloft. Director Bodhan Sláma’s seemingly simple tale of nature, sexuality, and love slowly reveals layers of complexity within each character. Heading a superb cast, lead actors Pavel Liška and Zuzana Bydžovská portray particularly fine, limning characters that are tender and kind, yet also driven by animal lust—in other words, recognizably human.
Directed by Bohdan Sláma.
The Karamozovs
June 3, 9:15pm, Harvard Exit; June 7, 11:00am
Harvard Exit
The Karamazovs layers Dostoyevsky’s themes of morality, atheism, and their consequences through the interplay of novel, play, film, and real life. Based on the novel of similar name, the film shows a theater troupe from Prague in a production of “The Brothers Karamazov” at a Polish steel mill. The stage production brings the father, Fyodor Karamazov, back from the grave to confront his sons about his murder. The play slowly reveals each son’s role in his father’s death, while offstage the characters’ stories interlace and begin to reflect the themes portrayed on stage. Writer-director Petr Zelenka adds depth and accessibility to this complex weave by giving us a view that others in the film do not see. Issues of faith, immortality, and the redemption of man combine both on and off the stage and make us wonder, if there is no God, is everything permitted.
Directed by Petr Zelenka.
The Wild Bees
June 6, 11:00am
Harvard Exit
In only his second feature, Emerging Master Bohdan Sláma displayed his talent to blend bittersweet drama with ironic, almost surreal comedy. Set in a northern, rural corner of the Czech Republic, The Wild Bees explores a small village struggling between communism’s false assurances and capitalism’s promised riches, where the atmosphere of perpetual ennui is broken only by regular doses of peppermint schnapps. Even in such a place, shy and quiet Kaya is an outsider. His father berates him for not thinking “philosophically,” like his brother Petr. Kaya might consider leaving if his thoughts didn’t revolve around the pretty yet unattainable Bozhka. Not only is there a feud between their families, but she is also dating Ladya, the motorcycle-riding, Michael Jackson-loving village celebrity. Hope arises for Kaya when Petr unexpectedly returns just days before the Fireman’s Ball, but Petr is in for a few surprises himself. Together the brothers attempt to fulfill their dreams, blissfully unaware of the eventual repercussions. Deliberately evoking the creative heritage of the Czech New Wave (Forman, Passer, et al.), Sláma crafts a touching, personal film that illustrates how community fuels the wildest hopes and dreams of the individual—sometimes even fulfilling them—if only to keep them safely at home.
Directed by Bohdan Sláma.