This film was inspired by an incident from the directorΒ΄s youth, when he helped a girl in Prague carry a big suitcase and learning her story. Forman himself, was once a lost kid in a big town, when his mother was carried off by the nazis during the war, never to appear again. Forman is also one of those directors, who was working in an environment where there were not artistic freedom. How he choose to describe the life of the characters has to be seen in this light. In fact this is a very daring and bold creation from "behind the iron curtain" that deserves recognition.
A teenage girl, Andula (Hana BrejchovΓ‘) lives in a small provincial town and she works at the local factory. She has a boyfriend that wants to marry her, but she is in doubt about how she wants to shape her future. Maybe she has a dream of leaving this small and claustrophobic community, before she ends up "imprisoned" by other peopleΒ΄s expectations.
When a bunch of soldiers comes to town a dance is held, but the soldiers are middle aged, married reservists, who are only out to get some "adventure" on the side. Disillusioned she removes her focus from the soldiers (the state), looks around and gets eye contact with the seemingly anonymous pianist Mila (VladimΓr Pucholt). He repays her with a smile, but she still feels an inherent insecurity about the intentions of the men around her.
Apparently unconsciously she feels attracted to the pianist, but she still keeps a false self distance to his repeated overtures. Finally she lets her emotions and sexual instinct take control her and subjectively decides that she can trust him, despite his apparent "loose" lifestyle, travelling the land as a pianist.
She spends the night with him and the probably have sex. He apparently has a very charming personality and further more likely tells her to look him up in the big city later when he has gone to his next gig. He makes references to art, describing her body as a Picasso and she is duped by his larger than life attitude and gives her a sense of freedom and life-spark.
A few days later she decides to go to the city, to visit him where he lives. When she arrives, she finds out that it is his parents address, and that he is not at home at the moment but out playing at some gig. After some hesitation and questioning of the girl they invite her in to wait for Mila. The mother is very inquisitive and constantly moralising about the naivety of the girl and carelessness of their son. the parents discuss the situation forth and back and especially the mother is highly critical of the general irresponsibility of the youth and very notably express her concerns about the raising frequency of divorces and how this hurts the children. You are not going to get an argument like that in contemporary and generally gynocentric films.
When Mila arrives at the home, he is not really very interested in figuring out who the girl is who have come to visit and the father indicates that this is certainly not the first time it has happened. When he identifies her he tries to become his charming alter ego again that he performed with her on the date previously, but he does not seem convincing. They are forbidden to sleep together and parents and son sleep in the same bed arguing forth and back about the situation and revealing their ideas of morality, social conformity and demands to behavior, that are actually very decent and rational from a philosophical standpoint.
The generation gap is the ever recurring "problem" in families that have not taken the time to educate their children in rationality and morality but rather inhibiting by decree. There are clear references to corporeal punishment in the past. All the while Andula is listening to their "discussion" behind the bedroom door and she breaks down crying when she realizes that she is as unwanted as could be.
She the decides to go back home the next day. We then see her lying about her excursions with Mila to her friend telling about him and his family in rosy ways that are pure fantasy. She lives her own lie, deliberately trying to form her image and story in manner of perfection, that is so far from her reality. She is back at her monotonous work at the factory, with the slimy foreman breathing down her neck.
Forman not only manages to describe the insecurities and problems of youths around this age but also wrap it in a very artistic and engaging mood. The movie has different tempi of the plot but still it flows and the jumps feels well managed. There are scenes that are completely detached artistically, from the rest of the expression, and they serve as spices to enhance your appetite but also as a way to point out that beauty can actually be found in places you did not expect. The backdrop of the city is basically ordinary boredom and functionality. The director is obviously inspired by the new wave cinema and wants to put forth his own expression in that direction. And despite its slight pretentiousness i think it is very delicately and professionally done. A very recommendable film, that deals with a difficult topic in a fine manner, not least with the knowledge, that it was made in Soviet controlled Czechoslovakia 20 years before the fall of the wall.
Rating: 8/10
