directed by Alice Nellis, comedy, 116 min, eng subtitles
written by Alice Nellis
with Bolek Polívka, Miroslav Krobot, Karel Heřmánek, Zuzana Bydžovská
Once known as the “Czech Beatles,” the revolutionary rockers from the band Smoke have long since gone their separate ways. But 40 years after the break-up, several of the members come together to play at the funeral of the wife of former guitarist Vašek. Inspired by this brief reunion, keyboardist Milan, who runs a recording studio with his much younger wife, thinks contempo audiences might be interested in the type of music he and the others produced during the last gasp of socialism. Since his studio is on the verge of bankruptcy, he’s game when unscrupulous agent Holubec proposes a complicated plan for their comeback, including a scam in which Milan will pretend to fall gravely ill during a performance. But before Smoke can re-light the fire once again, Milan must persuade his former bandmates tocome on board. He and Holubec manage to convince sexy wild man Ota, the lead vocalist, and henpecked guitarist Karel by implying that Vašek has a fatal illness, and that his unspoken dying wish is for them to tour again. As these aging rockers re-group- and start enjoying the music, the great secret is finally revealed: why the band actually broke up in 1972.
Awards
Karlovy Vary IFF 2013 (Audience Award)