Summary
The ideological demands of the “Barrandov dramaturgs” meant several films realised by director Jaromil Jireš during the 1980s more or less bore an unwelcome watermark. This was apparent even in such intimate human stories as portrayed by this 1984 psychological drama. In the film, the popular Miloš Kopecký plays ageing art historian Svozil, who is trying to come to terms with a very unpleasant diagnosis – stomach cancer. His resolution to use the time remaining to him to the maximum leads the hero to radically rearrange his life according to his own impulses. Through their protagonist, Jireš and screenwriter Marta Kadlečíková create the idea that even during the era of “normalisation” it is possible to live a dignified and fulfilling life. In a powerful story of sickness, love and old age, Taťána Fischerová (Svozil’s girlfriend Alena) and Petr Čepek (oncologist Antoš) appear alongside the dominant Kopecký.
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