neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Autumn Spring
	Vladímir Michálek Vlastimil Brodsky, Stella Zázvorková, Stanislav Zindulka, Ondej Vetchy, Petra Spalková 2001		Nuanced, deliciously comic and tinged by resignation, the fine Czech film "Autumn Spring" addresses the plight of the elderly with a profile of an old man who is neither infirm, senile, crabby nor frightened by the world around him. Frantisek, a frisky retiree played by Vlastimil Brodsky ("Closely Watched Trains"), is the opposite of the stereotypes; his burden is his refusal to be coddled, cowed, helpless or locked away. Accompanied by his best friend Ed (Stanislav Zindulka), Frantisek revels in pulling hoaxes, for instance, passing himself off as someone famous for a lark. He's content to fritter away his meager savings in the pursuit of fun, although he infuriates his proper wife (Stella Zázvorková) who is more concerned with the couple purchasing a nice cemetery plot. Their selfish, grown son would like his parents to move to a retirement home. Frantisek will have none of it. He knows his time is limited, so every day should be lived to its fullest. Director Vladímir Michálek makes the most of the expressive Brodsky and his co-stars. And Jirí Hubac's insightful script, which has much to say about male-female relations, makes a good point: Why be too careful when death can claim the stagnant as readily as it takes the vigorous?