Summary
During the 1970s, writer-director Jiří Hanibal primarily specialised in escapist fare for children and young viewers. But in 1972, an exception was made with this psychological drama about a young man who decides to stand on his own two feet and find a “decent” job. For the discontented Vašek, that means a one-year stint in the coal mines of Ostrava. Wife Božka is unhappy with the decision. But the hard work in the mines, and the male bonding that ensues at the rooming house, both serve to open Vašek’s eyes. And so the man chooses two new life priorities: work as a miner and new love via geologist Ajka – rejecting his spoilt and increasingly alienated wife in the process. Ladislav Potměšil takes the lead role, supported by two heroic leading ladies, namely Eva Trejtnarová (Božka) and Jaroslava Brousková (Ajka).
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