Après l'hiver

In Svěrák’s loose “humanist" trilogy, Empties lies far behind The Elementary School, but far out in front of Kolya in terms of quality. This time, Jan Svěrák doesn’t try to show off his directing mastery and takes a back seat. So Zdeněk Svěrák has complete freedom and the question is whether or not this is a good thing. While his screenplay was outstanding as always, things are a bit “strange" as for his acting. His is believable in his role, no doubt about that, but something is simply wrong. On the other hand, I can sing nothing but words of praise for the actors in the supporting roles. Especially Macháček is truly good and isn’t just a caricature of himself, unlike his colleague Hřebejk. The greatest plus point for Empties is, apart from the atmosphere, the performance given by Daniela Kolářová who was afforded greater space in a movie for the first time in a long while. And she makes excellent use of it. The picture has an excellent beginning and ending, but the overall impression is spoiled slightly in the middle, especially around when he falls off his bike. That sort of thing shouldn’t happen with a director of Svěrák’s format. At this point, Empties shatters into a series of fragments of varying quality without any impact on the end result. (09/03/2007)

Zdeněk Svěrák is still considered an excellent observer of what is happening around him, and he is able to write characters with a human dimension. All of them except his protagonist because Tkaloun struck me as a perfectly fabricated wishful thinking of an ideal pensioner, so it is in him that I miss the aforementioned soulful dimension. Moreover, I often miss the signature of Svěrák when he was younger, and he is content with (albeit) impressive references to his previous films. I don’t want to completely damn Empties, especially considering the rest of Czech cinema, so I give it an additional star, but also a star less for a film by this duo making me feel that it is calculated and slightly egocentric. A diffident 60%. (21/02/2008)

In these days of the senseless cult of youth, this is a real treasure and also a typical Svěrak’s balm for the soul. There's no screaming humour (they showed the trailer for Evan Almighty with Steve Carell before the film and it made my toes curl), but a very intelligent story full of life wisdom and insights, which will put a permanent smile on your face and maybe, during a beautiful love confession in a balloon, make you so happy that you'll buy your sweetheart a flower after leaving the cinema. PS: A beautiful parallel (one of many in the film) from Svěrák's observations is the opening one. I have a friend, a two-meter-tall guy, big like a mountain, who taught history and Czech at a high school. He told me that after six months, every time he got on the tram he took to work, he had a sinking feeling in his chest (without Mr Svěrák's tics and pills) from knowing that he would have to put up with the attacks of insolent brats for another day. The worst were supposedly the sons of rich dads who somehow helped the school financially (see in the film the son of the dad who financed the "running track"), because they knew they were covered by this, that nothing could happen to them. After less than a year my friend quit teaching, he couldn't handle the nerves. He didn't squeeze a wet sponge on a student, he hasn't seen your film, but believe me, Mr. Svěrák, he would understand you deeply :) (29/07/2007)

Czech film is not dead, and as long as Svěrák Jr. directs and Svěrák Sr. writes, it won't be. Whether their films are nostalgic or innovative, they are always universally appealing to audiences, and the same goes for "Lahví." For the creative duo, the character of the aging muleteer has become almost comically typical, guiding us through the corners of old age and rediscovering the meaning of life. They deserve a more generous running time that would allow Landovský, Budař, or Macháček to shine even more, as they are practically screaming for attention. It is a great pity that a poorly directed epilogue undoes the previous twenty minutes and almost erases it from memory. Bitterness simply does not suit the overall sentiment, and it would be better to let natural kindness prevail. (13/08/2007)

Empties brings a nice and warm human scent on the topic of the eternally restless male heart, which somehow the rest of the body is no longer able to help. The film offers a fun, beautifully written and engaging sequence of stories, few of which feel far-fetched. The old man, as portrayed by Zdeněk Svěrák, breathes wisdom and joyful childhood more than rigidity or exalted moralization. Mainly thanks to him, after a long time, a Czech film that makes sense and has poetry is playing in movie theatres in the Czech Republic. Empties is not the peak of the son-father manufactory; nevertheless, I thank the film from the bottom of my heart for the warm feeling I took away from the movie theatre. (17/03/2007)