Protektor

Una película de un cineasta valiente que no teme seguir su propio camino y que puede contar cosas serias con distanciamiento. Un pequeño milagro entre las películas checas contemporáneas. (16.09.2009)

I don’t get it. Formally brilliant and complete (the harmony of music and image should serve as an example to other Czech films), and when listening to the dialogues you do not feel like someone is jamming a rusty corkscrew into your ear canal (even during the “I you love" expressions). When you are watching the story you feel that someone put some thought into it and presented to the viewer something that is noticeably missing. A plastic and non-hysterical image of succumbing to the magic of ideology, however primarily motivated by good intentions. A psychologically elaborate drama in which much more general features of the relationship between man and "history" are revealed on a protectorate backdrop. It's sarcastic, sophisticated and it has power. The image of riding a bicycle when watching it again is a phenomenally simple, and at the same time corresponding metaphor of any totalitarianism for me. Without the peddling man who seemingly has no influence on what is happening behind him, the illusion would not be perfect. Protector is a film that for years I have been longing for - mature, reflective, and it is free of Czech nonsense and stagnation. I forgive the mistakes. Love is blind. (16.09.2009)

A beautiful and incredibly original movie. Who would have thought that we can shoot an interwar-era movie in such an original way in our small country… Marek Najbrt came up with an innovative directing, Miloslav Holman came up with an innovative camerawork and the band Midi Lidi along with Petr Marek put together a soundtrack that will probably lure me in for a listen for the rest of my life. And, of course, I can’t forget to mention Tuček, Najbrt a Geisler who wrote a perfectly ingenious script, and also the acting performances of the actors and actresses like Jana Plodková and Marek Daniel. Not only is Protector, without a doubt, a job well-done, but it might also be one of the most original movies that our little country had the honor to film. I congratulate and thank the creators for this grand movie experience. (17.07.2015)

I’d give it 7/10, but I don’t feel at all like rounding up this time. Visually, this is an exceptionally beautiful film, the performances are flawless and so is the direction, but it lacks pace in a terrible way. Yes, it’s boring! I liked Normal a lot more than this tarted-up romance, and I’m also not really sure what it is (primarily) about… (12.12.2009)

Proof that excuses for anything are just the alibis of filmmakers who won't admit their own inability to make a good film. Protector is European filmmaking in every sense. After it was over I was still staring silently for half an hour, searching for words. It’s one of those films that fascinates you while you're watching it, but you can't easily go back to it for its emotional impact. (26.04.2010)