Director:
Zdeněk TycGuión:
Zdeněk TycCámara:
Patrik HoznauerMúsica:
Vojtěch LavičkaReparto:
Irena Horváthová, Linda Rybová, David Prachař, Denisa Demeterová, Igor Chmela, Vladimír Javorský, Jana Janěková ml., Petr Lněnička, David Matásek (más)Sinopsis(1)
Not a Chance tells the story of the recently widowed Věra, who is determined to raise her seven children by herself and to keep them from being placed in state-run children’s homes. The resolute young mother, however, has no inkling of the huge sum she owes in unpaid rent, for her deceased husband had handled all their practical matters. Left to deal with it all by herself, she sees no way out. The situation is ultimately resolved by social workers, who mercilessly relocate the entire family to a one-room council flat. And Věra’s problems keep coming – her children are increasingly truant, her welfare payments are not enough to cover even her children’s most basic needs, and the penalty for the outstanding rent is growing... A young, ambitious lawyer, Ms. Slečinka, appears on the scene to help her, and is subsequently joined by an advocate for society’s vulnerable class, Mr. Kuchta. And the story gains momentum... (texto oficial de la distribuidora)
(más)Reseñas (2)
High quality, especially where the film adheres to the documentary level and does not seek to achieve generalizing caricatures of humorless xenophobes. The question of whether a stylized "based on true events" story will work is satisfactorily answered by the conclusion – and the answer is YES. This is despite the sometimes cumbersome dialogues that try to analyze the Roma problem from different angles, and despite the screenplay, which sometimes lacks gradation and a clearer direction. As in The Brats, Tyc managed to create a rather plastic and non-offensive film (if I close my eyes and omit the somewhat exaggerated hints of the "conspiracy" of the powerful). It is too bad that El Paso does not have the obvious power of Straw dramas and has to reach for the scheme all too often. The relatively good feeling from the screening is spoiled for me over time by memories of moments that were rather false instead of having the intended authenticity.
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Tyc and the Roma question for the second time. This time we are not watching a strong story with the dual themes of Roma and adoption, as in The Brats, but just the classic "do we still want to help them?" In the following years, many ways out and many ways to somewhere were sought, but the result was still not forthcoming. El Paso is perhaps a little more interesting because next to the solemn single mother and her children there is a rather interesting mix of characters who are not caricatures but rather ordinary people. Logically, we don't have to expect any special depth from Rybová or Prachař, but at least they were equal to Javorský, Matásek, and Bareš.
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