Ice Mother

Loved this movie.. deals with real people adrift in there set of issues and dilema's..

You wont be sorry you watched this one.. or kept it for yourself to share with others.. Great actors in this one.. Very well written .. Stand alone work for the director who didnt cave to cliche's..

All of the characters are spectacular. Each of the actors portrays the uniqueness and fragility of the characters they are portraying. I great film will concentrate this in all characters, not just the main character. Relationships are messy and difficult, what we must work through and over come to stay true to ourselves. This is an ode to life. I would love to be able to speak these actors and how they felt putting themselves out there for such demanding roles and frigid water temps. The little boy, Vacenek (?) was remarkable and watching the emotions play across his innocent face were amazing. I love foreign films, because we see so little of this magnitude of acting in the US. The scripts all seem so dumbed down for the American audience.

It appears that I'm the first person reviewing Bohdan Sláma's "Bába z ledu" ("Ice Mother" in English), despite the fact that it was the Czech Republic's submission to the Oscars for 2017. Anyway, it's a fine piece of work, focusing on an elderly woman who starts seeing changes in her life and takes up cold-water diving. It's the sort of movie that really requires you to pay attention to understand the profound, multidimensional characters (i.e., the opposite of Michael Bay's movies).

It might not be the greatest movie ever, but I liked the focus on the characters. Some of the swimming scenes might leave you feeling cold, and one of the dinner scenes is enough to make one NOT want to have children (much like a certain scene in "Kramer vs. Kramer"). I recommend it.

You will not find here cliche hollywood storyline. You will find an inspireing stry with characters that are not artificial, good acting and a message that is unique - for those who seek inspiration.