EMPTIES
January 18, 2010 Czech Republic, Rated PG
Playing at 6:30pm

Run Time: 120 minutes Director: Jan Sverák Cast: Zdenek Sverák, Daniela Koláeová, Tatiana Vilhelmová, Alena Vránová Run Time: 103 minutes Country: Czech Republic Year: 2007 Language: Czech with English subtitles Distributor: Maple Pictures  

A box office sensation in its native Czech Republic, Empties is the last in a trilogy from director Jan Sverák and his actor-screenwriter father Zdenek Sverák. Beginning with the Academy Award®-nominated Elementary School (1992), which explored the magical and confusing terrain of childhood, the trilogy continued with the breathtaking Academy Award-winning Kolya, and now comes to completion with Empties, a comic love story about a man facing old age.

In the film, Sverák Sr. plays Josef Tkaloun, a literature teacher who decides to quit his job, frustrated by the growing generation gap between himself and his pupils. Once retired, however, he feels useless and unneeded, a predicament that he has trouble accepting. After trying a couple of jobs suited to his qualifications, the 65-year-old curmudgeon takes up a position at the bottle-return booth in the local supermarket.

From his vantage point behind the counter, Josef finds his real calling as a goodhearted but meddlesome supermarket cupid who tries to fulfill the lives of his family, friends and acquaintances. He soon becomes an institution at work, and despite the looming threat of an automated bottle collector, is nevertheless perfectly happy with his new occupation. However, the exciting new world he creates at the store leaves less and less room for his increasingly neglected wife, Eliška (Daniela Koláeová), and she of course has no intention of getting used to it.

The highest-grossing Czech film of all time (edging out the Film Circuit favourite I Served the King of England), Empties avoids sentiment through its bittersweet style of comedy. With its confident, easygoing performances and Jan Sverák’s unforced direction, the film is ultimately a gentle love story that dramatizes the formidable moments in life.

 

REVIEWS AND COMMENTS

“[Empties] has clearly touched a local nerve about the challenge of relationships against the backdrop of unwanted societal change.” – Eddie Cockrell, Variety

To learn more about this movie (and if you can read Czech), go to the Empties official website. Otherwise read some reviews at Rottom Tomatoes (they are all good).