I’ve always really liked Miloš Forman films, however I haven’t seen his early Czech stuff. For that matter the Czech film world is very foreign to me and I’m excited to dig deeper into it. It’s amazing to me that Hana Brejchová didn’t have a bigger career. She is just lovely in this. She just pops off the screen in an innocently cute way — similar to Anna Karina or Natalie Portman. The black and white photography really suits her as well. The first half of the film didn’t do much for me (except for the scene where they are in bed and he’s talking about how women are shaped like guitars). That scene is just shot so wonderfully. It’s sexy while also being romantic and not lascivious (although the moment leading up to it seems so creepy and rape-adjacent that I’m shocked she fell in love with him). Once Andula gets to Prague, however, the film really shows it’s true colors. It’s really only 3 scenes if you think about it (Andula and the parents, Milda laying down with Andula when he gets home, and the three people in the bed scene) and they are all amazing.
