The Country Teacher

The Country Teacher is one of the best Czech films of recent times, and it is thus far the most mature work by the talented Bohdan Sláma. All the typical elements of Sláma's work can be found here, i.e., fascination with the countryside, the lives of outsiders that the director supports, and a focus on social and relationship problems. It is also very well-acted, and Pavel Liška broke free from the category of likable fools and eccentrics when he played an intellectual using very subtle acting techniques. It is a film about love, tolerance, and ideals. Overall impression: 80%. (14.04.2009)

"Country Teacher" is a classic small Czech film. When I say small, I certainly don't mean it as criticism, I mean it as a completely positive evaluation. "Country Teacher" is a good film, it just simply doesn't tell a big story, or an epic one. It's not an American film that needs tricks, it's just a small Czech film that is satisfied with good actors, a good story, and an interesting life situation, which definitely cannot be called simple. Petr moves from Prague to the countryside to teach. At first glance, it's clear that his move has a reason. A reason that won't be revealed immediately, but we will gradually find out. It's probably unnecessary to conceal it, it is quite well-known what "Country Teacher" is actually about. Petr is homosexual. I think that even in today's society, it is often a reason why people will not like this film, or why they prefer to omit it in television broadcasts. I think it's a shame because this issue is not fundamentally addressed here and definitely do not expect any explicit homosexual scenes, on the contrary, in this regard, the film is very moderate and there is only a hint, which, however, is a figurative catastrophe for the story. But above all, "Country Teacher" is about how difficult it is to fit into society. Not because society rejects the individual, but because he is unable to understand that despite his uniqueness, society can accept him. Only when he doesn't have fear. Pavel Liška delivers a great performance, but Zuzana Bydžovská slightly overshadowed him. I'm not exactly the type who seeks out Czech films, but I have to say that I liked this one. It wasn't exaggerated, Geislerová wasn't in it, and I was interested in the subject and the execution. In addition, the cow giving birth in a live broadcast, damn, that's powerful for both the viewer and the actor. I have to admire that. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/now-is-good-stand-up-guys-bourne-30.html (05.03.2013)