Frankly speaking, this movie isn't bad at all. It has much more interesting moments than those pointless teenager movies released every summer. The cinematography is breathtaking. The image of Czech is so lively, so vivid. White cloud, red tree, green roof, I felt like a new born baby visiting colours for the first time. The score flow through the movie like a old man reading poems. The young Kolya did a fine job here. Most of the time he shows the nature of a kid, exploring the bitter world mess up by the grown-up with a sense of innocence. But there are a few scenes he is too self-conscious. e.g. The crying bath scene. Ya, we know he is just "acting".
What I don't buy is its formula. The formula to manipulate the audience, obviously imported from Hollywood. The sweet feel-good ending. The cute kid method. The shallow bashing of communism. The superficial life-changing experience. All of that made up a Hollywood movie with subtitle. Where goes the true understanding of human nature? Where is the deep, unbiased analysis of social system? Is that once the Wall is down, the people stop thinking?
Right, it got the best foreign movie from Academy. Maybe I am wrong from the beginning. The Academy (a.k.a the Hollywood family) choose best movie not by its greatness, but by the acceptance of US audience, by the coherence to Hollywood taste. Oh, nearly forgot, anything dark, need thinking isn't good for the awards, even for foreign movies. That's why they choose this instead of "Prison of Mountain". That's why they like "Life is beautiful". And don't like movies who dare to speak the truth, the core part of the truth, like "Underground". Compared to same year other domestic academy entries, Fargo, Sliding blade, Secret & lies, Shine, this movie is not even in the same level. Maybe choose this can make Hollywood crowd feel more superior?
If you want to see extraordinary kid performance, go to see the neorealism Iran movies. If you want to see the destruction on a family by the communist system, go to view To Live, Blue kite, The thief, and Underground. There is lot more to offer.
What I don't buy is its formula. The formula to manipulate the audience, obviously imported from Hollywood. The sweet feel-good ending. The cute kid method. The shallow bashing of communism. The superficial life-changing experience. All of that made up a Hollywood movie with subtitle. Where goes the true understanding of human nature? Where is the deep, unbiased analysis of social system? Is that once the Wall is down, the people stop thinking?
Right, it got the best foreign movie from Academy. Maybe I am wrong from the beginning. The Academy (a.k.a the Hollywood family) choose best movie not by its greatness, but by the acceptance of US audience, by the coherence to Hollywood taste. Oh, nearly forgot, anything dark, need thinking isn't good for the awards, even for foreign movies. That's why they choose this instead of "Prison of Mountain". That's why they like "Life is beautiful". And don't like movies who dare to speak the truth, the core part of the truth, like "Underground". Compared to same year other domestic academy entries, Fargo, Sliding blade, Secret & lies, Shine, this movie is not even in the same level. Maybe choose this can make Hollywood crowd feel more superior?
If you want to see extraordinary kid performance, go to see the neorealism Iran movies. If you want to see the destruction on a family by the communist system, go to view To Live, Blue kite, The thief, and Underground. There is lot more to offer.