Kobry a užovky

Excellente interprétation et réalisme dans la psychologie des personnages. Cependant, j'ai un problème avec le thème central de l'amitié, perturbée par un événement, et surtout avec la dernière scène du film qui définit l'idée du film. Ce problème ne peut pas être expliqué sans spoiler : quand tout le film repose sur une grande idée d'amitié... il ne devrait pas être en colère contre lui d'avoir fini "là-bas" tout seul, il ne devrait même pas le considérer comme un participant à l'événement. (26/02/2015)

I have to admit that before writing this review, I had to listen to the song “Na hadím ocase” by Bratři Orffové for about a hundredth time, because nothing else says more about this movie than this amazing sad song. The Snake Brothers are after a while another proper Czech drama that doesn’t have a single flaw. It’s thus basically perfect. The film Jan Prušinovský made is not in his usual style, but he made it with such perfection that I now consider him the best living Czech director. Prušinovský met a debuting screenwriter Jaroslav Žváček, who created an absolutely fantastic story about two brothers who are different in some respects but similar in others. I cannot imagine different Czech actors in these roles other than the Hádek brothers, who played them so perfectly that they confirmed it to me that the Czech Republic has nothing to complain about regarding actor quality. It is enough to write the characters in a slightly provocative way and the audience is hooked. But it is of course not only these two actors I want to thank for this. I’d also like to express my gratitude to other actors such as Hájek, Šulcová, Polišenská, Žáčková, Máj or Kubánková. I wasn’t too familiar with them, but it is clear that when the director does his job right, he can turn their roles into pretty important ones. I didn’t find a single character that wasn’t deep; all of them remained in my thoughts long afterwards. The atmosphere of the small town is also perfect, supported by an absolutely brilliant musical selection, which is dominated by the bands Bratři Orffové, Prago Union or the famous songs “Barák na odstřel” and “Země vzdálená”. These songs will be forever linked to this movie in my mind. Simply put, this movie is perfect in so many respects that I’ll probably never forget about it and I’ll be forever glad that I could support it by buying a cinema ticket. (22/02/2015)

It’s great that someone tried to look this social snake in the eye with similar straightforwardness as Petr Václav. It's great that both Hádek’s act on a level better than usual, and in particular Kryštof gives the best performance of his career. It's great that Prušinovský captured a whole range of fatal banalities with all the embarrassment, hopelessness and, most importantly, without dissection and the effort to make it into lustful fun. Less great is that The Snake Brothers feels like a social drama without a face, which juggles filming methods all the time without finding a clear concept and a clear identity. It’s downright bad that the first 20 minutes feel like a song in which all the instruments play a semitone falsely (even the otherwise accurate Kryštof is less so). And it’s very contradictory that the double conclusion (shocker / ambivalent view) feels more helpless than burdensome, as if the creators were not familiar with the very vital characters of the council. As a result, the flowers in the background music sound much more suggestive than the film. I understand hype and satisfaction, but I have a feeling that this snake should be able to enchant Karlovy Vary, while on the festival circuit its ambivalence will be a considerable limit. Which is a shame, because the substitution of the gambler with iron and organized crime by robbing cottages is brave and complete. If I wanted to be consistent, I should give **** (I gave them to Sláma for the similarly unbalanced Four Suns and Jiráský got one star less for the weaker Flower Buds). But there are enough people who will give them to Prušinovský for me. [65%] (19/02/2015)

The initial reactions were not only positive, but enthusiasm was also evident in them as if a sports club from a small town struggling at the bottom of the league had triumphed over the champions from the big city. Expressions like "finally, a world-class Czech film" and the like appeared. Because such praise has resonated throughout the Czech Republic several times before, and I subsequently had to adjust my high expectations, I approached the film with caution. Nevertheless, my verdict this time is: after a long time, several months to be precise, this is my best movie theater experience, and since the success of The Way Out last year, this is the first Czech film that is worth going to the movie theater for. This is primarily due to the excellent acting of the Hádek brothers and the attractive portrayal of the community of small-town outsiders - people without education, without what they need, and often unfortunately without responsibility and social intelligence. Both film brothers have their own plans; Užovka's plan is more ambitious, but also somewhat sensitive to external threats. I see a weakness in the script, as I don't really know what the director's focus is. A conflict between the brothers terminated by a divine intervention? Friendship divided by a prison wall? Even here, I don't see a significant dramatic conflict; in the harshly pragmatic environment of Czech society, Užovka's decision seems rational, and the director creates a moral dilemma that, I'm afraid, doesn't actually exist for the majority of viewers. The film touches on a number of issues, but it never goes to the core. What's worse, the ending feels helpless and, moreover, unconvincing. I understand the rise of certain nobodies in films. The antihero of an American drama I recently watched, Nightcrawler, is an example of a character whose transformation from a meaningless nobody to a dangerous player who fiercely pursues his goals is quite believable. But Užovka is not a big player, and in the real world, someone like him is not destined to play the role of a boss. Overall impression: 65%. (02/04/2015)

At times not entirely convincing, with characters acting purposefully to artificially suggest a dramatic plot, but in individual details such as the realistic dialogues, the emotional effect, or the performances of everyone on set, this is an auteur work of transcendent stature. Prušinovský has a good understanding of the ordeals and needs of the lower social classes and fits the purely cinematic story of two different and troubled brothers to them without unnecessary sentimentality and softness. Carry on… (26/11/2015)

Jan Prušinovský a réussi à réaliser un drame qui, grâce à des lieux authentiques et des personnages crédibles, capture de manière réaliste la réalité sociale tchèque contemporaine sans manipulation ni chantage émotionnel. Si tous les films tchèques sérieux atteignaient ne serait-ce que les trois quarts de ce niveau, nous serions depuis longtemps surclassés. Les acteurs sont formidables, le film est techniquement et artisanalement solide et la réalisation est impeccable. (17/02/2015)

Après une série de critiques, commentaires et recommandations enthousiastes, je me devais de voir ce film. Certains le proclament d’ailleurs déjà comme le meilleur film tchèque de l’année, voire – allons-y gaiement ! – comme le meilleur film tchèque de ces dernières années. Commençons par souligner le choix audacieux du réalisateur Prušinovský pour avoir distribué les rôles des frères Hádek de cette façon. Si quelqu'un qui ne les connaît pas avait observé leurs visages et qu'on lui avait ensuite présenté les traits de caractère de Kobra et d'Užovka, j’ai l’impression que la plupart auraient attribué à Matěj le rôle de Kobra et à Kryštof celui d'Užovka. Il s'agissait d'une démarche un peu risquée, mais qui n'en a finalement été que plus fructueuse. Kryštof est véritablement exceptionnel, sa prestation m’a totalement scotché et je ne pouvais pas détacher mon attention de ses pupilles, répliques cinglantes et vulgaires et créations de danse intentionnelles et non intentionnelles. Le personnage de Matěj, lui, m'a frappé en plein cœur, je me sentais tout le temps extrêmement désolé pour lui et souhaitais avec toute la force de mon âme qu’il s’en sorte et puisse au moins se tailler une petite part de bonheur. Ceux qui fréquentent le Club dramatique ne s’étonneront pas des prestations magistrales de Jan Hájek et Lucie Žáčková dans les rôles secondaires. Aussi, je pense que M. Prušinovský n'aurait pas pu trouver une actrice plus appropriée que Jana Šulcová. Kobry a užovky pourrait être rangé dans la catégorie drame social, mais pas aux côtés de films tels que Štěstí (Something Like Happiness) ou Poupata, car ces derniers dégagent quelque chose de légèrement différent. Je dirais que l’étiquette la plus pertinente serait « tragicomédie », étant donné que de nombreux passages m’ont fait rire, mais d’un rire qui fait froid dans le dos en même temps. Kobry a užovky a certainement le potentiel pour devenir le film de l’année 2015 et, si nos critiques et académiciens ne nous viennent encore avec de mauvaises surprises, je pense qu’à tout le moins, ils devraient décerner trois Lions aux acteurs. (24/02/2015)

I finally saw a Czech film that I really liked, that entertained me, and that I watched with the urge to know how it would end. This is mainly because the Hádek brothers are absolutely great in the film. The screenplay isn't surprising, but it's good and effectively captures the Czech reality it focuses on, but the Hádek brothers carry it. (19/01/2017)