Poachers

Dismal family relations are a theme that attracted both director Hynek Bočan and Moravian writer Jan Kostrhun. This was underscored by their collaboration in making Pytláci (Poachers, 1981), which followed the film their partnership is best known for, Tvář za sklem (The Face Behind the Glass, 1979) – Bočan served as the director for that motion picture, while Kostrhun contributed the story. In Pytláci, tension reigns between 30-year-old Cyril Spurný and his father, who is attempting to resettle in the village of his birth after returning from an emigration. Cyril, a tractor driver, also struggles in his relationships with women, and has problems with his mother, who has found a lover. Meanwhile, his father’s passion for hunting is heading towards a tragic conclusion; a repercussion of a trauma he suffered during his childhood … The cast is among the undeniable qualities of this film. Above all, Josef Somr, in the role of the father, stands out. The part of Cyril is one of the few major roles in which Pavel Nový has convincingly demonstrated his acting talent. Also unusually engaging are the actors playing the female roles; Jana Hlaváčová as the mother, Barbora Štěpánová as Hedvika and Daniela Kolářová as František’s assistant.