Directed by:
Jan SvěrákScreenplay:
Zdeněk SvěrákCinematography:
Vladimír SmutnýCast:
Zdeněk Svěrák, Daniela Kolářová, Tatiana Dyková, Jiří Macháček, Pavel Landovský, Jan Budař, Nela Boudová, Miroslav Táborský, Věra Tichánková, Jana Plodková (more)VOD (1)
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This film is the last in a life trilogy from director Jan Svěrák and screenwriter/actor Zdeněk Svěrák. The trilogy began with Elementary School, exploring childhood, continued into adulthood with Academy award winning Kolya, and now comes to completion with this comic love story about men facing old age. Czech literature teacher Josef Tkaloun, who is past retirement age, realises one day that he no longer understands his pupils, and so he quits... dramatically. What he does not predict is that in doing this he will lose his sense of place in society. He finds himself isolated in his city flat with only his wife Eliska for company. Unsure how to deal with this new situation, Josef tries to find a way out. After a few vain attempts at finding a decent job, he accepts a position at a refundable bottles counter in the local supermarket. In this seemingly inhospitable place, he solves what had been the root of his unhappiness. Surrounded by characterful people and at the centre of a city community, Josef finally finds his way back to his own wife. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
In Svěrák’s loose “humanist" trilogy, Empties lies far behind The Elementary School, but far out in front of Kolya in terms of quality. This time, Jan Svěrák doesn’t try to show off his directing mastery and takes a back seat. So Zdeněk Svěrák has complete freedom and the question is whether or not this is a good thing. While his screenplay was outstanding as always, things are a bit “strange" as for his acting. His is believable in his role, no doubt about that, but something is simply wrong. On the other hand, I can sing nothing but words of praise for the actors in the supporting roles. Especially Macháček is truly good and isn’t just a caricature of himself, unlike his colleague Hřebejk. The greatest plus point for Empties is, apart from the atmosphere, the performance given by Daniela Kolářová who was afforded greater space in a movie for the first time in a long while. And she makes excellent use of it. The picture has an excellent beginning and ending, but the overall impression is spoiled slightly in the middle, especially around when he falls off his bike. That sort of thing shouldn’t happen with a director of Svěrák’s format. At this point, Empties shatters into a series of fragments of varying quality without any impact on the end result.
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Zdeněk Svěrák is still considered an excellent observer of what is happening around him, and he is able to write characters with a human dimension. All of them except his protagonist because Tkaloun struck me as a perfectly fabricated wishful thinking of an ideal pensioner, so it is in him that I miss the aforementioned soulful dimension. Moreover, I often miss the signature of Svěrák when he was younger, and he is content with (albeit) impressive references to his previous films. I don’t want to completely damn Empties, especially considering the rest of Czech cinema, so I give it an additional star, but also a star less for a film by this duo making me feel that it is calculated and slightly egocentric. A diffident 60%.
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A guarantee of quality. Excellent script, excellent Svěrák in the lead role, but the best thing in the film is definitely Daniela Kolářová. It's amazing to watch her character nip every new idea of the protagonist in the bud, crush it and stomp it to the ground without even trying. I was royally entertained alike I am with every Svěrák comedy. It blows my mind how Zdeněk Svěrák can keep up such a high quality of writing for so long. 30 years after the premiere of Secluded, Near Woods, he has lost none of his genius.
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Movies by members of the Svěrák family are probably the only Czech movies that I like watching and look forward to. The actors don’t just make silly faces, but act and the atmosphere of the story is captivating. Plus, the characters are well written and the story loses none of its tempo in the second half. Simply a fine family movie where everybody will find something to entertain them.
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"Well, it's much easier, Helena. He was working extra hours at school because he could chat with the chatty Ptáčková in a tight sweater. And I taught with her, so I know what a bitch she is." Or the last great Svěrák-Svěrák film. Because what was to come in the next decade were just multiple epilogues.
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