To the Woods

This is a sequel to a film that came out twelve years ago, and this film isn't worth it. The modern story of Romeo and Juliet provides nothing new, perhaps only acting opportunities for the friendly bunch. The seemingly eloquent shots of the forest lack personality and the inconsistency with the first film is most acute when comparing Hanák's etudes, which have no point in the second film. Polívka and Holubová repeat for the hundredth time what they have done many times before, Schmitzer's storyline might have had more to it, but again it didn't reach any point, and this time Bára was essentially pointless. If Anna Linhartová is super fashionable now, we're in for a lot pointlessness. (01/07/2015)

This is a big leap up from the still somewhat controversial Out of the City (which I now prefer more and more). To the Woods again has a strange (non) story like its predecessor and the same bizarre characters played by deliberately overacting (non) actors, but in terms of atmosphere and poetic mood, it is a much less aggressive and much more pleasant soothing film, which, despite all the bizarreness, perfectly and believably tells about life in the village and in nature, about the common worries of ordinary people, about their values... Vorel doesn't moralize, but at the same time he shows us how he knows and sees it all and how he imagines it should work to make the world beautiful. Of the actors, in addition to all the proven aces, I have to highlight the perfect central pair. (19/09/2021)

An ecological agitation film probably like Seclusion Near a Forest (if so, then the new age), only mid-range, and compared to the first film a little less naive and more open to the characters to bear the consequences of their nonconformist attitudes. Otherwise, quite pleasantly lyrical praise of game-keeping and life in the forest inhabited by characters who are no longer as much of caricature as in Out of the City. So, the "cellar" instinctual humor has diminished and weird or serious dialogues were added - but it's hard to deny that as soon as a fundamentalist view appears on the scene, Vorel beats it with an ironic counterpoint. In the end, then, glory to game-keepers who eat mushrooms. The village idyll is alive and I still enjoy it. Tomas, just keep on shooting boars. You will not be able to please us stressed out intellectuals from the city with aggressive urban farces. But I like this massage with cannabis and toadstools. (21/09/2012)

The film no longer focuses so much on the character of Tomáš Hanák, but on his film daughter - the continuity in terms of age is certainly not entirely accurate, and it is a loose sequel. This daughter, who takes after her mother in being very nature-oriented, is essentially an activist, just on a small scale. She loves the forest and all living things, so she automatically comes into conflict with the young forester - played by the director's son. "Journey to the Forest" is nothing more than an ecological romance, which sounds quite terrible. There are some good scenes here, but overall, it simply feels like rehashing the same theme, which is close to Tomáš Vorel, but it actually comes off as a modern hippie film. The second time around, it didn't appeal to me as much, even though young Vorel surprisingly performs well. (05/01/2014)