Summary
The fondness of writer and screenwriter Vladimír Körner and director Karel Kachyňa for historical themes contributed in 1980 to the realisation of a drama that takes place during the last days of World War II. A young widow with two sons arrives at a remote village under Kralický Sněžník mountain to start a new life. The older Ondra gets to know local people and grows close to German anti-fascist Fred... As with František Vláčil's Adelheid (Adelheid, 1969) and Jiří Svoboda's Zánik samoty Berhof (The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof, 1983), Körner adapted his own book with a feeling for the poetic film skills of the director. The true appeal of the film lies somewhat in the perspective of the child hero. This relativises “big history”. The picture's attractiveness is also down to the casting of Michal Dlouhý and Miroslav Macháček as Ondra and Fred, respectively.
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