Autumn Spring (Babí léto)
Released 2001
Stars Vlastimil Brodský, Stella Zázvorková, Stanislav Zindulka, Ondrej
Vetchý
Directed by Vladimír Michálek
There are two ways in which elderly people typically approach their "golden years" - either with a calm resignation and acceptance of the approach of death or by ignoring the physical evidence and moving forward as if they were not much closer to the end than the beginning. In Autumn Spring, director Vladimír Michálek argues that those in the former category are in the grave long before their hearts have stopped beating. Only those who embrace every moment with a joie de vivre, careless of the approach of the Grim Reaper, make their last years more than a sojourn in Death's waiting room.
Certainly, there are dramatic aspects to Autumn Spring, but the majority of the film is designed as a black comedy. Frantisek's antics, not to mention his cutting, off-the-cuff comments, are often amusing, and occasionally uproarious. His faked death may be traumatic for his family, but, for those of us who are in on the con, it's very funny. The movie assumes a certain sophistication from its audience, and also demands that viewers not be afraid of a screenplay with an edge.
Summary by James Berardinelli
This movie shows a couple of extremes in how you can deal with very old age, and then it closes with a nice compromise. I have no idea how I'm going to handle that stage of my life since I already feel like life is passing me by, and I'm "only" 38! I really wanted to like this movie, but I couldn't connect with the main character, Frantisek. It sounds nice to say you're going to live every day like it's your last, but it doesn't make much sense to live that way when you're poor. Frantisek ran around blowing every penny he had, while his wife, Emílie, sat at home obsessed with saving up for a nice funeral. She was just as bad as him, but in a different way.
I liked Frantisek's pranks with the real estate agents, but the rest of his antics
became tiresome. The movie picked up for me when they went to divorce court, though. This
scene was handled very nicely, with Emílie showing her anger for all of Frantisek's
behavior that was going to get her buried in a shoebox, but also having her defend each of
his actions. This scene was reasonably subtle, but the rest of the movie hammered its
points home, to the point where Frantisek even became the window lap dog he so despised.
That led to the compromise at the end where they discovered a way for them both to enjoy
their final days while also being practical. I enjoyed this ending, but Frantisek's
irresponsible ways offended my puritanical sense of fiscal responsibility too much for me
to enjoy the film's humor. I'm sure that's a personal quirk, because my wife liked it a
lot. She was moved, and the inherent sadness of the characters' final years lingered with
her for a few days. --Bill Alward, January 11, 2005