The Elementary School

For me personally, the best film of the Svěrák family duo... Not only because of the wonderful cast, but also because this film has a completely unrepeatable atmosphere, spirit and wit... Although other scripts by Zdeněk Svěrák are excellent, this one has the greatest hallmark of authenticity, naturalness and loving nostalgia for me. The characters are written completely plausibly, and they are also perfectly believably acted; this creates a unique panopticon, which Jan Svěrák brought to life with a range of funny and tragic stories, thus joining the best tradition of European film - as if through a spell, everyday things become exceptional, magical, captivating. The Elementary School has a bit of boyish mischief in it, a bit of childish naivety, and a bit of an adult view of the world. It is a film magically naïve and yet does not lack perspective and the third dimension. Probably the most beautiful portrait of childhood and adult "heroes" I have ever seen. The Elementary School ranks at the very top of my post-revolutionary rankings next to Hřebejk's Divided We Fall. (24/04/2004)

Where are my mudguards? (18/05/2005)

The Elementary School was an early peak for Jan Svěrák, who set the bar so high from the very beginning that he could only crawl under it despite all his efforts later on. Svěrák managed to assemble a great team and an ideal cast and get the best out of them. He worked excellently with nostalgia for a lost childhood and effective sentiment, which is not oversweetened or fake. His father wrote credible, attractive characters that the audience can easily identify with. The director also had a lucky hand in selecting the child actors and everything works like Swiss clockwork. There is a bit of childlike naivety and boyish mischief in it, and above all, an amazing retro atmosphere. I have no reason to be stingy and I give it an overall impression of 95%. Jan Tříska has indeed filmed a number of significant roles, but he will always be remembered in the hearts of viewers as the eccentric teacher Igor Hnízdo. (29/12/2018)

Excellent Czech film that wonderfully captures the time and the reality that being a personality and pursuing girls is essentially a domain of any era. Everyone has their weaknesses and everyone has strengths. Here, it is beautifully seen and moreover, it is stunningly presented from a child's perspective. The Svěrák family has created an incredibly strong team. (30/11/2014)