A New Boy Started Today

This was an exceptionally courageous film for its time, which anticipated the perestroika criticism of social conditions by a considerable number of years. After all, Brezhnev had only just died in the year of its creation. In addition to the courage to call things by their true names (at least partially), Drha's film has a civilian tone and the absence of cheap sycophancy, which is typical for a theme similar to Soukup's film, Wind in the Pocket. I worked in a similar factory and that environment is known and familiar to me. Likewise, the film's protagonist has some character traits that are also typical of me. I couldn't care less about collective rituals, just like Luboš, and I was indifferent to public opinion. On the other hand, the film is undermined by very average directing - a mere glimpse into Drha's filmography suggests that he is at best a mediocre craftsman. The same goes for the performances of the actors, whether in some of the supporting roles or in the case of Marek Brodský, who displays very naive acting. It is probably good that Marek later focused on other artistic disciplines... The love story is very lazy and a few other flaws can also be found. Overall impression: 55%. (01/14/2010)