Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter
The Czech film “Waves” premiered at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Feb. 10 at the Riviera Theatre.
“Waves” tells the story of two orphaned brothers in Czechoslovakia in the late ‘60s as they have to navigate looking after one another. Their situation is further complicated by the country’s poor economy and state of political turmoil — Czechoslovakia is being oppressed by the Soviet Union and is trying to free itself from its control.
The younger brother, Pavel (Ondřej Stupka), although a minor, is a political activist. The older brother, Tomáš (Vojtěch Vodochodský), tries to protect him from any trouble he might get into as a result of his involvement. But when circumstances lead Tomáš to work at a radio station fighting for the freedom of speech, it puts both their lives at risk.
The film explores one of the darkest chapters of Czech national history. A viewer who is familiar with it knows that all the events of the film will eventually lead to the Soviet military invasion of Prague in 1968, but it doesn’t harm its flow. It only adds historical context to the plot. Happy moments seem sadder, and every sad moment seems like an ominous premonition. For those less familiar with Czech history, the film would be even more intense and shocking in its revelations. Though some of its deeper significance might be lost on such a viewer.
Much of the film is pure dialogue. Characters just walk from one room to another, trying to adjust their daily lives to the political situation and reconcile it with their moral beliefs. However, the film is never boring. The dark tone of the whole story is tempered with good humor, causing the audience to burst into laughter several times during the screening. The dialog is witty and poignant, and the characters are vivid and interesting.
Vodochodský perfectly conveys the tension we see in the character’s soul as he faces an impossible choice. As a result, the audience is equally happy for Tomáš when he falls in love and terrified for him when he is interrogated by the secret police.
Even though the film has plenty of characters, it doesn’t overwhelm the story. Everyone goes through their own development and touches the viewer in a different way. The most remarkable supporting performance is delivered by Vojtěch Kotek, playing one of the journalists working for the radio, who shows the range from a carefree merrymaker to a man crushed by the pressures of the times.
But the person who truly makes the film so great is director Jiří Mádl. The young and promising filmmaker grips the viewer from the first seconds of the film — a striking image of protesters carrying lanterns on the streets of Prague. Further along, the film is also full of vivid imagery and interesting visual decisions.
One of such decisions is dynamic camerawork. Cinematographer Martin Žiaran uses a lot of tracking shots that follow the characters. This even adds to the tempo of the film and when the story slows down a bit, the camera movement keeps the viewers engaged, drawing them deeper into the story.
The immersive effect extends beyond visuals. The soundtrack is also an important element of the story. It features not only Czech songs but also American hits from the ‘60s. It fits well with the film’s core theme: the aspirations of oppressed people for the freedom associated with Western culture.
“Waves” is a perfect example of how to make historical movies. It is interesting to watch, but at the same time tells a painful story of people broken by the soulless Soviet political machine. By mixing cinematic shots with the documentary chronicle, the film shows that no matter how terrible the events shown are, they actually happened not so long ago. The viewer is given a crushing perspective on the unfolding tragedy.
The film is very emotional, since the audience deeply sympathizes with the characters. Throughout the film, viewers are often worried and then relieved, only to be horrified by the existential drama of the third act. It is executed so powerfully that many at the screening found it impossible to hold back tears.
The themes from “Waves” seem even more relevant in today’s world. Its message that people must fight for their freedom and the freedom of their kin seems more important than ever. The film shows that every person has their own struggle — the struggle within themselves — and what is right must prevail over what seems comfortable.
The ending of the film might be depressing for some, as the dream of the world the characters imagined for themselves fails to exist. But Mádl leaves viewers with a ray of hope. He depicts that there always are people who are willing to fight for the right cause, and even though they are forced to be invisible, they never give up.
9/10
