Návrat idiota

This was a nice film to watch, in the way that looking out of the window of a bus can be lulling. The plot was saccharine, far-fetched and flimsy. It was too bad that Gedeon relied on the title of Dostoevsky's book "The Idiot" to generate interest for the story, since it was completely unrelated to the Russian novel. Calling it "Return Of The Idiot" implies that Gedeon's story had some precedence. Here he presents a sad crew of (fairly attractive, at least) inbred characters that revolve around a typical sad-sack anti-hero who, I think, the world could have done without. Thinking of the film, I almost want to rate it at less than seven out of ten, but I enjoyed myself on a cold November night, thinking of the Czech Republic, mildly delighted by the cool, hard blue-grey tones of the images and the film's low-key progression.

As with Jules et Jim, the film centres around a love triangle, but with the added bonus of fantastic humour (both visual and situational) - and it is impossible not to empathise with Frantisek (the "Idiot"). Well worth watching. Incidentally the actor playing the younger daughter and Frantisek are now together in real life (ahh. :-)

A person arrives from an institution into the "normal" world and sees our everyday reality with fresh eyes. What is normal? What is sane? Where does reality end and dreams begin? Can a pure, vulnerable person cause his segment of the world to clean itself from a contagion that threatens to wipe it out?

These questions and characteristics are equally relevant to the Czech movie "The Idiot Returns" and to Terry Gilliam's "12 monkeys". The basic difference is one of scale: in "12 monkeys", James Cole is expected to save the entire human race from a deadly virus, while Frantisek in "The Idiot Returns" blunders into a maze of tainted personal relationships within the circle of a family. James is physically and mentally strong in order to have a chance to withstand the strain of time travel, while the most challenging journey Frantisek makes is the train trip from his mental institution to the small town that his relatives live in. The two protagonists are strikingly similar in that it is their openness and vulnerability that enables them to become the catalysts of a hopeful development. James perceives objects of wonder in a spider, corny music on the radio, even the open air itself. Frantisek sees something good in everyone, holds no grudges, can find a positive interpretation for every seemingly nasty utterance or reaction.

Nonetheless, "The Idiot Returns" is a thoroughly Czech movie. We find none of the usual trappings of mainstream American film: there are no firearms in evidence, the physical violence is as restricted as it is significant, quarrels happen mostly between the lines of dialogue instead of outright in Ricki Lake-ish shrieks. In particular the dance hall scenes, the trivial fun and games while people's individual universes are falling apart, bring us right back into Forman's "The Firemen's Ball", together with his particular variety of Feliniesque parades of bizarre-looking characters.

Those of us with a Central European background get jolted right back into a familiar claustrophobia of meticulously tidy Christmas sitting-rooms and the keeping up of appearances, where people over coffee and cookies participate in carefully subdued mental dog fights that would make any sane person renounce family life forever. ("We have to show Frantisek what it's like to be a family!" Yeah. Right.)

And yet James Cole and Frantisek are at least cousins, each of them adapted to their own corner of the woods. If "12 monkeys" is a big concerto, "Návrat idiota" is a string quartet, or rather a clarinet quintet (a foursome and one divergent voice) - over the same theme.

Pavel Liska showed us in this movie that to show emotions it is not necessary to throw them onto your face. Subtle acting accompanied with talented directing results in a funny and sensitive movie about a man, Frantisek, who has just got out of mental institution. In the end I felt like the director had succeeded in making some points quite well. Movie makes you wonder what really is normal and what is not. Frantisek may not be a social genius, but he is certainly a character whose adventures is interesting to follow.

This film has captured my heart from the day I saw it previewed at Riverside Studios in 1999. Ever since, I have been trying to track this film down on DVD.... anyone who is into laughing and crying at the same time will love this film..... It doesn't matter if this film is in Czech or English, the simplicity and sweetness of it will capture your gaze.... It's one of those films that will stay in your heart forever as its very clever in its story. excellent... can't wait till its released on DVD..... I don't want to hype this film too much as i know hyping a film can disappoint, so watch it and feel it and enjoy it with all the passions inside you....