Film Description
Empties (Vratné lahve)
Director: Jan Sverák
Cast: Zdenek Sverák, Daniela Kolárová, Tatiana Vilhelmová and Robin Soudek
Language: Spanish with English Subtitles Comedy/Drama, 14A, Language: Czeh/German with English Subtitles, 100 minutes
(Czech Republic/UK)
"Sverak's work anchors a cast that delivers a series of delicately executed performances as the actors bring to life a great range of lightly comic characters."
- Kate Taylor, Globe & Mail
Synopsis: EMPTIES is the last in a life-story trilogy from director Jan Sverak and screenwriter/actor Zdenek Sverak. The trilogy began with the Academy nominated ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (1992) exploring childhood, continued into adulthood with the Academy award-winning KOLYA (1996) and now comes to completion with EMPTIES, this comic love story about a man who refuses to accept that old age is empty of love, meaning and value to society. Josef Tkaloun is a teacher at a high school in Prague who cannot control his anger when his pupils misbehave in his poetry class. He quits his job and despite his wife urging him to retire, becomes a cycle courier. A man full of humour and playful energy, he is not content to spend the autumn of his life in the uneventful bosom of his family. After the inevitable accident, he still refuses to stay at home and takes a job in the local Zizkov supermarket. He works behind a counter, taking the used glass beer bottles and empty plastic water bottles, giving a receipt to the customers which they can redeem at the cashier. He begins to flirt with the customers and matchmake both for an old friend and for the man he works with. His own flirtations (and amusingly lurid dreams) almost get him into trouble with his wife, so he resolves to reignite the passion in his marriage. As can be expected, things do not go completely to plan. Another joint project by Oscar-winning duo Jan Svěrak and Zdenek Sverak, EMPTIES is an intelligent, emotionally engaging comedy about finding meaning and love in later life.
Official website: www.vratnelahve.czScreening:
Saturday October 24, 2009, 8:00 PM, Imperial 8 Cinemas, 55 Dunlop Street West
Sunday October 25, 2009, 7:30 PM, Imperial 8 Cinemas, 55 Dunlop Street West
Awards:
- WINNER, AUDIENCE AWARD, COTTBUS FILM FESTIVAL OF YOUNG EAST EUROPEAN CINEMA, 2007
- WINNER, AUDIENCE AWARD, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST SCREENPLAY, CZECH LIONS, 2008
- WINNER, AUDIENCE AWARD, SPECIAL MENTION, KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, 2007
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