Schmitke

As the German-Czech friendship is still a delicate subject discussed over a pint of beer in almost every pub I set my foot in, I did not assume it would be different with Bob. When Schmitke, portrayed by an amazing Peter Kurth, with his talkative colleague visited a small village on the Czech-German border, somewhere in the middle of Ore Mountains, I anticipated where this was going. What’s more, I got to see a perfectly filmed relationship between a Czech and a German. It was helped by the amazing directing debut of Štěpán Altrichter. The sound was excellent with Johannes Repka’s music, which really deserved the Czech Lion Award it got. And most of all it was the atmosphere with the story, which made Schmitke such an original movie it undoubtedly is. I have not watched a film with a better atmosphere in a long time and I don’t think it was just because Czech setting is so close for me. And in a similarly long time I have not seen a better dominatrix than Helena Dvořáková. Drinking hard liquor, doing accounting and gracefully knocking down anyone who just looks at her? Not any woman can do that… Hats off. I also have to compliment every actor and non-actor appearing in the movie. They all have their place, and each character is important and unique. Schmitke really impressed me and I will watch this trip to the Ore Mountains soon again. All it’s missing for the five star rating is a better finale; the film however tried to save it with the dialogue during the end credits. (04/04/2016)

Schmitke is a semi-finished product, which is disappointing because the creators only half-opened the door and hesitantly stepped in precisely where they needed to rush in and unleash properly. Schmitke does not lack ideas, and the budget is not a serious obstacle this time - the good and functional aspects of a film do not make money. The problem is the lack of courage and patience to bring the film to its final form, to refine its style. Which, in practice, would mean rewriting the script about 4 times. In it, there is a bit of Kafka, a little Lynch, a bit of a road movie, and a reminder of the old raw Sudetenland by Jaroslav Rudiš, but together it is not sufficiently unique. You don't need to compare Alois Nebel's story to anything, as its world is so unique that it represents only a regional film but it is also a brand of its own. Schmitke doesn't lack just an ending, it lacks much more. But yes, even this fragment is likable, but I mainly consider positive reviews as an expression of the desire to finally see Czech cinema in a better state. Overall impression: 55%. (20/09/2018)

Co-production is the way to go. If anything is clear by now, it’s that contemporary Czech film has a track record worthy of superlatives only if it teams up with one of its neighbors. Czech-Slovak films are a given, but Czech-German, Czech-Austrian, and Czech-Polish solutions are also great. Logically, there are many more actors to choose from, the theme does not dream of wallowing in Czech smallness on principle, and formally there is no reason for even one member of the crew to be a beginner. So, yes, Schmitke is a great film and it doesn't just work to promote the beauty of the Ore Mountains, which would probably be the main problem with the final shape if they had just stuck with the Czech-Czech solution. So thanks for an interesting excursion to the Sudetenland because this unique landscape deserves it. I'll be happy to watch it again anytime. (11/05/2015)