Seclusion Near a Forest(Na samotě u lesa)
Dir: Jiří Menzel
Czechoslovakia, 1976, Czech, 95mins, DCP
Cast: Josef Kemr, Zdeněk Svěrák, Daniela Kolářová
Returning after years of political suppression, Menzel crafted a featherweight comedy about the joys and challenges of living as a city family in the countryside. Skilfully avoiding any critical associations, this simple, relaxed story focuses on a family of four, who rents a cottage with a view to permanence, and gets perturbed when the old peasant owner suddenly changes his mind about selling up. In his fine blend of gentleness and whimsy in observing human follies, Menzel transforms an idyllic portrait of rustic living into a magical conjuration of a lost arcadia.
San Sebastian International Film Festival: OCIC Award
