Fair Play - Juego Limpio

La primera de las tres películas de las que podemos estar orgullosos en nuestra región cada año. Más simple en la historia y visualmente no tan grande como Burning Bush, pero por dentro igual de fuerte e incluso más sensible en los detalles. Estará conmovido y triste, pero contento de haberlo visto. (05.03.2014)

Es marzo y, como niño de marzo, soy indulgente en marzo, por lo que hoy he obtenido la calificación más alta por segunda vez. Sin embargo, Fair Play es una película que definitivamente merece una alta calificación. Después de un tiempo, tenemos una película ambientada en el mundo del deporte, pero en ningún caso es una comedia. Los personajes principales son principalmente mujeres que luchan contra circunstancias desfavorables en tiempos difíciles. Está bien escrita y tiene una hermosa música. La canción principal de Žbirka contiene mucha tristeza, por lo que se adapta muy bien a toda la película. Judit Bárdos tiene la tristeza escrita en su rostro y probablemente nació para interpretar a mujeres probadas por el destino. Aňa Geislerová ofrece una actuación sólida, como estamos acostumbrados de ella, y Eva Josefíková es ligeramente complementaria. Mi favorito, Luknár, siempre me complace en cada papel. (11.03.2014)

Hay dos o tres películas al año en nuestro país que son realmente buenas (sobre todo en comparación con el resto de la producción nacional). Fair Play es una de ellas. La fuerte historia de la impotencia en tiempos del socialismo, de la intimidación, el chantaje y la manipulación a través de un régimen inflexible, se ha contado muchas veces, pero nunca en el contexto del deporte. La dirección es muy precisa y limpia, con buen ojo para los detalles y los diálogos elaborados. Judit Bárdos como la talentosa atleta, Aňa Geislerová como su madre y Roman Luknár como el estricto entrenador merecen elogios. Satisfacción. (11.07.2014)

It’s been a long time since I’ve had such an intense but at the same time a scary experience at the cinema. At first glance, Fair Play looks like a classic sports drama. Watching it, however, made me realize that classic sports drama is a concept that only Hollywood has taught me to perceive. So, let’s take out the classic outline – someone sets a goal for themselves, they’re bad at it, then they get good, there’s some kind of trouble at the end, but it all turns into a happy ending. But this movie is different. Fair Play might be about a sport, but it’s also about the modern day. And I’d say it’s mainly about the modern day. Judith Bardós delivered a god-like performance – sober, human and natural. When it comes to the mom who was portrayed by Anna Geislerová, I kept thinking that if this wasn’t a movie, then this could be the very same neighbors I have in my own apartment building, so believable was her character. And that’s exactly why I was so immersed in their story. Including the series of unanswered questions. For example, the situation with her dad could have been handled way better, in my opinion. I personally can’t imagine leaving my family and emigrating because of the regime. But I also can’t imagine the secret police being nice to the people who are “acting out” and, for example, give them a month to change their mind about cooperating. Even so, I have to pay a compliment to them, because I’ve never seen such a distinctive, depressing and sad movie from that era. On top of all that, it was a solid piece of filmmaking. Fair Play is definitely a movie that the whole nation should find worthy thinking about. (13.03.2014)

Unlike the main character, the film occasionally raises its knees quite high. And it doesn’t really work the way it's supposed to. Mainly through its occasional abbreviation in the development of Anna and Tomáš's relationship (meeting on the tram?), it undermines the effect of several related scenes, thus unnecessarily undermining the well-constructed dramatic storyline, which is mainly about personal dramas and moral dilemmas. Fortunately, these work on other levels (the coach, the mother). Yes, it will be mentioned many times, the martyr's pedestal that the director puts someone else on every moment is at times too schematic. But fortunately, the strength of the film lies in the performances. Bareš's STB agent, Malý's club doctor and especially Judit Bárdos brings interesting acting charm from Slovakia after a long time. Aňa tries hard, but she is too young a mother in the role that was stamped on the director at Negativ, instead of the intended Ivana Chýlková. Anyway, the film's a pleasant surprise, if only because it wants to come to terms with the recent past and isn't afraid to go its own way. (06.03.2014)