I am not Czech, but I am an almost native speaker of the Czech language. I lived in Prague for 10 years, and I am very familiar with and a lover of the Czech cinematography. I have seen literally hundreds of Czech movies, from very serious ones to cartoons. I am also very familiar with the Czech spirit, culture and humor. Enough about my credentials. I am very happy for the reviewers of this movie who found in it subtlety, originality, creativity, messages, etc. I did not. I profoundly disliked it. It's drab and slow, and boring. can still live with it if there is a better and stronger plot, more intelligent dialogue from people who are not "idiots". It looked to me that Frantisek was clearly emotionally hurt and mentally confused, but the real hospice was the place he came to, not the one he left from. Including the people. It's almost a challenge to distinguish him from his remote family, other than him talking less and slower. I understand that the movie budget was based on pocket change of Czech korunas and not truckloads of US dollars, that would have put some more color, and other background into the picture. And of course better sound and music, maybe less nose blood, too. I have seen much better Czech movies that did not get any nominations, and I have seen Italian, Spanish, German and French movies addressing very serious and grave human issue but with a more colorful background. It is true, though, that most Czech places looked like in the movie, in the 50's and 60' on a rainy and cold November day.Most importantly very serious movie on a very delicate subject doers not have to be mutually exclusive with being pleasing to the senses. And this movie is not.
Review of The Idiot Returns
