Ice Mother / Bába z ledu
Czech Republic, Slovakia, France 2017
Directed by Bohdan Sláma, drama, 106 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Bohdan Sláma
With Zuzana Kronerová, Pavel Nový, Václav Neužil, Tatiana Vilhelmová, Petra Špalková, Marek Daniel
When selfless 67-year-old widow Hana (Zuzana Kronerová) joins a winter swimming club for seniors and finds late-in-life romance and a renewed sense of purpose, her relationship with her selfish sons and their ever more demanding families changes, as does her belief in the checklist she imposes on her life.
This is a wry and emphatic character drama, written and directed by the critically-acclaimed Czech director Bohdan Sláma, with award-winning performances (by Kronerová, Nový, Špalková) about how age can make us invisible to others unless we decide to reclaim our life. Ice Mother was voted the best Czech film of 2017 and also the Czech submission for Oscars.
Awards
Tribeca FF 2017 (Best Screenplay)
Czech Lion Awards 2018 (Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography...)
Portland IFF 2018 (Audience Award)
Czech submission for 2018 Academy Awards