Summary
Jaromír Bork’s filmography was enriched by this 1983 psychological drama about an apprentice bricklayer, based on a screenplay from Ivo Pelant. Pelant had previously scripted a family drama centred on a children’s yachting group for Bork, namely Muž přes palubu (Man overboard!, 1980). The screenwriter also collaborated (together with Radek John) in the making of Karel Smyczek’s films Jen si tak trochu písknout (Just to Whistle a Bit, 1980), Jako zajíci (Like Rabbits, 1981) and Sněženky a machři (Snowdrops and Daredevils, 1982), all refreshing contributions to the theme of adolescence in genre films. Despite its optimistic ending Kluk za dvě pětky (Kluk za dvě pětky, 1983) reflects the unromantic fate of a 17-year old youth striving in vain to overcome his social disadvantages for the sake of his love for Eliška (Dana Vávrová), born into a socially elevated family. Even though the debut of the then 17-year old Jiří Langmajer lacks the sense of authenticity frequently found in films directed by Smyczek, Bork’s story of Eda Mařák still provides an unusual “social” insight into the reality of Czechoslovakia in the 1980s.
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