Director:
Jiří MádlGuión:
Jiří MádlCámara:
Martin ŽiaranMúsica:
René RyparReparto:
Alois Švehlík, Lukáš Duy Anh Tran, Mary Bartalos, Vojtěch Dyk, Adrian Jastraban, David Švehlík, Radek Zima, Miroslav Táborský, Pham Viet Do, Anh Phu Nguyen (más)Sinopsis(1)
Ageing professor Rypar discovers a Vietnamese boy called Song on the roof of his Prague apartment building. The lad is about to jump – he’s in a state because he hasn’t got any papers and the police caught him during a raid. Initially, Rypar doesn’t trust the wan-looking Song but then he offers him the job of cleaning his flat in order to ease his own solitary routine. He helps him to improve his Czech and also starts losing at chess, a game at which Song excels. This small-scale piece about an unlikely pair is supported by masterful performances, in particular from Alois Švehlík in the role of Rypar, who combines sarcasm with vulnerability. After his resourceful directorial debut To See the Sea, actor Jiří Mádl tells a universally comprehensible story about the simple fact that we all need somebody. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(más)Reseñas (5)
Un análisis sensible, sutil y temáticamente estratificado de dos personajes diferentes y su vínculo amistoso. Mádl sabe contar historias de personas de todas las edades, como un veterano del cine de toda la vida. Švehlík está excelente, y hay una agradable ausencia product placement en lugares donde podría haber estado. Eso sí, no hay que esperar el emotivo final de K.O. que hizo de To See the Sea una película inolvidable. On the Roof más bien deconstruye (deliberada y artísticamente) las expectativas del espectador en la segunda mitad.
()
It is very clear that Mádl did not underestimate the situation. He studied the subject and the form, and he chose the most universal story in world cinema for his project On the Roof. A meeting of two generations, a meeting of two nationalities, and a search for the meaning of life in a hopeless situation. Alois Švehlík and Lukáš Duy Anh Tran quite naturally became ideal representatives of two different worlds. There is therefore no need to mourn for Tříska, because with him it would have been quite a different experience. Together with Miss Hanoi, On the Roof is another bright spot in Czech cinema.
()
Od Jiřího Mádla se mi líbila již jeho prvotina a u druhého režijního počinu pokračuje v nastavené linii, dokáže rozesmát i dojmout, a to kvalitním nikoli patetickým způsobem. Tragédie, která natáčení provázela, se na výsledku negativně nepodepsala. Alois Švehlík je vynikající a podle mě adept na Českého lva. Vietnamský kolega mu zdatně sekundoval a na Mary Bartalos se příjemně kouká. Moc hezký filmový zážitek.
()
After reading the summary, I expected the film to be nothing special, but I was pleasantly surprised. Alois Švehlík was superb, and Jiří Mádl’s work with this simple theme was very skillful. He both wrote it as well as directed it, and he deserves praise for both. I never liked Jiří Mádl as an actor, but if he keeps on writing and directing so well, I’ll be happy to keep watching his films. I really enjoyed the inconspicuous yet excellent humor, which perfectly offset the dramatic scenes.
()
An incredibly sweet film on the border between drama and comedy with a perfectly balanced humorous and serious component. Alois Švehlík played the main role of the rude professor Rypar with his own grace and it was tailor-made for him, even though it was originally supposed to be played by the tragically deceased Jan Tříska. The ideas to which Alois Švehlík lent words were very purposeful. I can't stop marveling at how the hell Jiří Mádl was able to come up with the whole thing. With the script and direction of this intelligent film, he has easily put most of the current Czech filmmakers to shame. The film also has great music. (85%)
()