Neha

A wonderful dark tale of coming of age in a country in transformation - then Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) in 1990s. Against the backdrop of a regime change and general crisis of basic values, a young man is finding his way into adult life. Playing a part in a love (hate?) triangle he does not fully understand until the conclusion, he desperately tries to make sense of the unpredictable behavior of the other two main characters which is linked to the secrets lurking in their past. All this while he is not sure about his own role in a world where yesterday's truths mean nothing today. Brilliant actors in a brilliant film that even gives you a glimpse of hope at the end.

It seems like a difficult film but really it is not and as long as we follow the coming of age boy, Simon and notice at the same time Slovakia, that was then Czechoslovakia. There is the young boy and him breaking away from his parents and into an arrangement with an older couple who have an unstable and violent liaison. As an allegory it appears that although this odd couple are problematic but maybe can be seen as leaving the past and moving on instead to the alluring capitalist future. Nevertheless the cinematography is amazing and almost every frame is beautiful, whether they are the shots of the stairs, the windows or the countryside. The moments, there are many, of the violent and worrying times but although they are difficult it is well shot and that we seem to understand that everything will have to be got through.