Cosy Dens

Prague, the end of the sixties. Two families live in the same building. The father of the Šebek family is in the army and loyal to the regime; the father of the Kraus family suffered in the war, is against the regime and says so at every opportunity. The children of the two families are friends, in love with each other, and their parents do not understand. The narrative runs between two New Year's Eves. The arguments go on in the flats: who is right, who got what, whose spoon is whose. Outside, the political climate is changing, and in the end the tanks arrive. Jan Hřebejk directs. Miroslav Donutil, Jiří Kodet and Simona Stašová are in the cast. It is a Czech production. It is set during the Prague Spring, and the narrative does not tell the historical event directly; it enters the families' lives from the side. The humour is built on everyday objects; a plastic spoon, a piece of furniture or a present sits at the centre of the argument. The film is considered a classic in the Czech Republic and is shown on television every New Year. Its hardest side is the ending; the comic register continues while the historical outcome enters the narrative, and nothing is explained. The household goods and habits of consumption of the period are reconstructed in detail. The narrative clears nobody; the character who opposes the regime is merciless toward his own family. Who it is for: viewers who like Central European comedy and family narratives with a historical background. Who it is not for: the humour is tied to its culture, there are many characters, and it asks for historical context.