Up and Down (Horem Padem)

by: Tereza Schneiderova

These days it is impossible not to notice the stunts used to promote the new Czech film "Up and Down". The commercials continually distract you forcing you to finally go out and see the film. You won’t regret it.

At the beginning "Up and Down" has all the aspects of a comedy – that then, unfortunately turns into a sad reality. Still there is an undertone of humor, or quirkiness. The whole plot is build up of three separate stories with one thing in common: immigration and racism. You could say that this film attempts to flesh out different views on these issues by showing you the story from three different social backgrounds.

The first story evolves around an illegal business. A group of men organize the illegal transportation of refugees. Once they get into the Czech Republic, they kick all of the refugees out on a road, forgetting a baby inside the truck.

This is where the second story comes in: a young couple longs for a child but can’t have one. The guy is a security guard and a huge Sparta fan and has had a few run-ins with the police; her only wish is to have a child. While this family deals with their social problems, another family has some different trouble.

The head of the family in the third story is an older man. He decides to get divorced because he has lived with his mistress for twenty years already. His mistress takes care of refugees in the Czech Republic. To make things official, he also invites his son from Australia to the Czech Republic. The film demonstrates a huge contrast between the Czech Republic and Australia that I thought was a bit exaggerated. However, you can look forward to a scene where all members of the family meet in the father’s house at the same time.

The three separate stories do actually connect later in a KFC restaurant. There a silly mistake then gives the story a radical turn and aims to demonstrate how subtle mistakes can change the flow of your life. From that point on don’t expect too many funny moments. I think it is suffice to say that the ending is quite depressing.

Overall, I personally liked this film. It was realistic and true. The actors were perfectly chosen for their roles. You can easily see the movie’s smart message about racial tolerance and you realize that not every life or every movie for that matter has to have a happy ending. If you suffer from seasonal depression or general malaise however, you probably shouldn’t go.

Director: Jan Hřebejk

Starring: Petr Forman, Emília Vášáryová, Jan Tříska, Ingrid Timková, Kristýna Liška Boková, Jiří Macháček, Nataša Burger, Jaroslav Dušek, Pavel liška, Marek Daniel, Jan Budař, Zdeněk Suchý

Script: Petr Jarchovský

Camera: Jan Malíř

Music: Aleš Březina