DonT Stop
Directed by:
Richard ŘeřichaScreenplay:
Richard ŘeřichaCinematography:
Martin ŽiaranCast:
Patrik Děrgel, Lukáš Reichl, Jiří Kocman, Jakub Zedníček, Oliver Cox, Viola Černodrinská, Kristína Svarinská, Richard Fiala, Klára Pollertová-Trojanová (more)Plots(1)
1983. PUNK has arrived at full strength in the communist Czechoslovakia. The eighteen-year-old Miki (Patrik Dergel) and his provocative buddy Dejvid (Lukas Reichl) don't want to stay behind. The Clash's London Calling show them the right direction. They take electric guitars, grease up the hair and stop caring about others. NO FUTURE, that's their motto. Don't Stop is a story about what happens during a year of your life when you just don't think of tomorrow or the consequences of your decisions. The only thing you want is to push through your generational right for your own lifestyle. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (4)
I didn’t believe it was possible to make a basically apolitical film about punk rock. Until I saw DonT Stop. It probably wasn’t easy to go against the “normal” dictated from above during the normalisation period of Czechoslovak history, but this film exerts minimal effort to convince us of that. It lacks an element that is utterly crucial for drama, namely conflict. The narrative is structured as a chain of musical performances connected by dialogue scene that are utterly unimportant as a result (the characters’ decisions are not in any way psychologically motivated – in the end, Miki “awakens” just as suddenly as his girlfriend changes her opinion of him). The almost endlessly playing loud music primarily serves to fill the awful content void and creates the illusory impression that the members of the band called Émile Buisson are punk rockers who are just as tough as their music. However, we are not shown any evidence that would support this notion. The protagonists’ rebellion against the system happens – if it happens at all – without the presence of the camera. We don’t see any of their internal clashes or the clashes that they provoke with the powers that be. The peak of anarchy in their rendition is a mohawk, pierced ears (one of the film’s “harsher” scenes), disrespect for the elderly (their sole source of income is apparently the money they get from fencing the silver spoons that they steal from a kindly grandmother), destroying other people’s property and shouting “No future!” from a rooftop. I doubt that the group that supposedly served as the model for the filmmakers would have so weakly provoked the establishment and sailed through the reality of normalisation as smoothly. The motivations of the characters are unclear. The soft-hearted punks survive from concert to concert, cursing about the conditions and not doing much to change the situation. Though Miki talks about his wish to snap listeners out of their lethargy with culture shock, there is only one confrontation between the outsiders and the conformists in the whole film, and even that happens rather by accident. Řeřich’s debut is not only apolitical, but also visually appealing. There is no underground aesthetic of ugliness. When the shots are visually shifted away from TV-series grey, it is paradoxically towards the “cool” flashiness of advertising (with which the director has extensive prior experience). If not for archival news footage, you would quickly forget that you are actually watching a story set in the normalisation period. Instead of gradually advancing toward a certain twist, the dramatic break comes suddenly, at the moment when the idea of “a band of punks on tour” is exhausted by the screenwriters (while the real potential of the theme remains almost untapped). The result is a startling halt and a disturbing change of atmosphere from a feel-good musical film into something like a psychological thriller. The filmmakers’ very cynical sense of humour is, unfortunately unintentionally, shown in the deliberate ending, which seems to be thoroughly in line with the statutes of the Socialist Youth Union. Those who still think punk isn’t dead will have to wait for a real Czech punk-rock movie. According to DonT Stop, domestic punk has been lifeless since the eighties. 35%
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A decent Czech musical film, which I think is a pity that it was promoted so little even in the place where the film was made. It’s not bad at all. The style reminds me a bit of another Czech film Identity Card, but it revolves about a different sort of people. These people, however, shared a common meeting place – the pub. DonT Stop is full of interesting, fresh-faced actors, it has a good, even though in its heart a classic story and most importantly a very pleasant and elegant rendition, which makes the film into a really interesting flick.
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An interesting depiction of an era that I lived through, but definitely not from this perspective. I've never had musical ambitions, and I've never been drawn to the punk movement. It must be acknowledged, though, that the environment is captured excellently, and even though the story is almost about nothing, at least not about anything unexpected, it's still enjoyable to watch.
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It is very clear that the film was formally polished by a cinematographer making his directorial debut. Generationally, the substance is probably also very close to Řeřich. That's why it's a pity that he didn't let a quality dramaturgist join him, who would have moved Don't Stop from nostalgic memories to reality. The kids also act decently, but at times they just walk around in those costumes like in a carnival mask. Anyway, it’s an interesting contribution to the Czech state and an excellent attempt to tell something a bit different than is usual in the mainstream.
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