Summary
The state, especially during the 1970s, commissioned numerous psychological dramas celebrating the socialist “builders of the nation”. This film by director Jaroslav Balík, however, was distributed in the cinemas in 1984, near the end of the “normalisation” era (1969-1987). The main character of the story, inspired by Stanislav Rudolf’s eponymous novel, is the overworked and unappreciated Ing. Vladimír Hlaváč, the manager of a nuclear power plant construction project who is unfairly dismissed. In retrospective scenes, Hlaváč ponders the years he dedicated to the project – a demanding labour of love. Later, the plant’s new director, who values the quality of Hlaváč’s work, appoints him to another managerial role. But the respected builder pays dearly for his dedication to the project, sacrificing both his privacy and his life... The pro-regime film stars Jiří Krampol, in the best performance of his career.
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