Petr Forman Movies
The often uncomfortable bonds of family intersect with the wary political and social allegiances of the Czech Republic following the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the end of Soviet occupation in this drama from director Jan Hrebejk and screenwriter Petr Jarchovsky. Goran and Milan (Zdenek Suchy and Jan Budar) are criminals who, while ferrying a truckload of illegal aliens into the Czech Republic, discover that one of their cargo has misplaced a baby; looking to turn a profit wherever they can, they sell the lost child to Lubos and Eman (Marek Daniel and Pavel Liska), two petty thieves who run a black-market adoption agency. Among Lubos and Eman's clients are Miluska and Frantisek (Natasa Burger and Jiri Machacek), a barren and lonely couple who are unable to adopt due to Frantisek's criminal record, which amounts to a bout of drunken foolishness during a soccer game. Meanwhile, Martin Horecky (Petr Forman) is a Czech expatriate living in Australia who comes home for a visit following the death of his father, who abandoned the family before Martin was born. Circumstances prove not to be especially welcoming for Martin; his mother (Emilia Vasaryova), who has become poisoned with race hate, invites two guests for his homecoming dinner, a half-sister he's never met (Kristyna Liska-Bokova) and her mother, who was once Martin's girlfriend (Ingrid Timkova). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Petr Forman, Emilia Vasaryova, (more)
- 2001
On the heels of his hit romantic comedy Pane e Tulipani, Italian writer/director Silvio Soldino tackles a more edgy tale of forbidden love in Brucio Nel Vento. Loosely based on the novel Hier by Agota Kristof, the films tells of Tobias, a refugee from Eastern Europe living a downtrodden existence in Switzerland. For ten years, Tobias has slaved in the monotony of a Swiss watch factory, trying to forget the tragedy that drove him from his homeland while searching for the perfect woman. One day she appears working at the watch factory, an immigrant just like Tobias, a woman he recognizes as his half-sister Caroline. Despite their shared bloodlines, and the fact that Caroline is married with children, Tobias sets out to win her love with all the madness of a man exorcising the demons of a secret past. ~ Connor McMadden, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ivan Franek, Barbara Lukesova, (more)
- 1994
Who knows what evil lurks behind your television screen? Czech writer/director Jan Sverak offers a possibility in this satirical tale of televisions that suck the life-force from every living thing. Our hero is Olda, who found himself suffering from extreme lethargy after he is interviewed on a tabloid television show. The puzzled doctors at the hospital have no clue why he is so weak and tired. But Fisarek, a strange natural healer, suggests that the cause is chronic energy loss. Fisarek teaches Olda techniques for drawing energy from the life-forces of people (especially children), trees, and art. To gain strength, Olda must also engage in tantric sex with beautiful women at a Turkish spa. The trouble is, every time Olda is near a TV screen he becomes totally lethargic again. Olda is making love with Anna, his new love, when a sprung mousetrap activates a TV remote that sucks Olda's power, bounces it off a satellite and uses it to power a pornographic program. Olda, realizing the problem becomes a television avenger, vowed to stopping the demonic screens at all costs. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Petr Forman, Edita Brychta, (more)
- 1991
Symbols and political analogies abound in this dramatically frustrating first work by a recent film-school graduate. In the story, Vojtech has survived World War II in a Czech prison following an unjust sentence. Now he is free, and the world is full of possibilities. He is ready to embrace life to its fullest. He moves to a Bohemian village and begins working very hard to make something of his life. The villagers are suspicious from the first, and the more exuberantly Vojtech lives his life, the more antagonistic they become. Just when it looks like he has found both love and livelihood, the villagers kill him. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Petr Forman, Jana Dolanska, (more)
