Le retour de l'idiot

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.

I am not Czech, but I am an almost native speaker of the Czech language. I lived in Prague for 10 years, and I am very familiar with and a lover of the Czech cinematography. I have seen literally hundreds of Czech movies, from very serious ones to cartoons. I am also very familiar with the Czech spirit, culture and humor. Enough about my credentials. I am very happy for the reviewers of this movie who found in it subtlety, originality, creativity, messages, etc. I did not. I profoundly disliked it. It's drab and slow, and boring. can still live with it if there is a better and stronger plot, more intelligent dialogue from people who are not "idiots". It looked to me that Frantisek was clearly emotionally hurt and mentally confused, but the real hospice was the place he came to, not the one he left from. Including the people. It's almost a challenge to distinguish him from his remote family, other than him talking less and slower. I understand that the movie budget was based on pocket change of Czech korunas and not truckloads of US dollars, that would have put some more color, and other background into the picture. And of course better sound and music, maybe less nose blood, too. I have seen much better Czech movies that did not get any nominations, and I have seen Italian, Spanish, German and French movies addressing very serious and grave human issue but with a more colorful background. It is true, though, that most Czech places looked like in the movie, in the 50's and 60' on a rainy and cold November day.Most importantly very serious movie on a very delicate subject doers not have to be mutually exclusive with being pleasing to the senses. And this movie is not.

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....

The main character, the so-called Idiot goes back into life and his family, after being isolated and (mis)treated in an asylum.There too good or too naive he finds himself in the middle of people too busy with their lives,loves and sex affairs, but his fresh and unique approach about things is going to change them and make them decisions, that they wouldn't do otherwise.Nothing really special is happening in this movie, the story is thin, but the Czech atmosphere, the good looking and efficient actors and nice personality of the main guy make it really attaching with that little twist to show it differently,...... like watching life going by through an icy window.I bought that DVD in Prague without knowing anything and was pleasantly surprised, it reminds me of a certain European cinema, with some more experience the director could be doing some really interesting things. The music, repetitive but brings an atmosphere to the movie.

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. :-)