directed by Viktor Tauš, comedy/drama, 120 min, fr subtitles
written by Petr Jarchovský
with Didier Flamand, Oldøich Kaiser, Jiøí Lábus, Kati Outinen, Julie Ferrier
Clownwise is a splendid tale of the comedy of life, shot mostly in Czech Republic and Luxembourg. At the beginning of their careers, Oskar, Max and Viktor created a superstar clown trio called The Busters. Their clownery personified little islands of freedom in the midst of a motionless swamp of resignation during the communist regime of the former Czechoslovakia. An explosive disagreement, however, led to the three clowns breaking up, ended their friendship and has left them on bad terms for over 30 years. They may have been able to make audiences laugh then, but there's nothing funny about the things they are facing now in their old age. Max is battling colon cancer, Viktor's wife is losing the battle against Alzheimer's, and Oskar, who's never been the best dad, is trying to rescue his daughter from an abusive relationship. The good old days are gone indeed. Despite their circumstances, each one still tries to retain a sense of humour. They look back fondly on the days when they were slapstick superstars. However, when it comes down to the issues that led to the demise of their career, they just can't seem to let their anger go. As they agree to a reunion reluctantly, they begin to realise that the only way back to the top is through forgiveness.
Awards
Czech Lion 2014 (Best Supporting Actor – Jiøí Lábus)