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Karlovy Vary International Film Festival · 2021

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2021

Competition

Programme

12 films · 3 reviews

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As Far as I Can Walk (Strahinja Banović)

Review preview for As Far as I Can Walk

Strahinja’s whole journey leaves the feeling of participating in a sort of pilgrimage with him, via a vérité shooting style that works all the steady-cam shakes in its favour, adding to the film's authenticity.

Nikola Jovic · 4 out of 5
Strahinja and his wife Ababuo left Ghana with a dream of a better life in Europe, only to find themselves stranded in Serbia. One day, Ababuo goes missing.

(Country: Serbia, France, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Lithuania; Year: 2021; Director: Stefan Arsenijević; Writer: Stefan Arsenijević, Bojan Vuletić, Nicolas Ducray; Stars: Ibrahim Koma, Nancy Mensah- Offei, Maxim Khalil, Rami Farah, Nebojša Dugalić)

Full review

At Full Throttle (Láska Pod Kapotou)

Fiftysomething former miner Jaroslav has always dreamt of a career as a race car driver.

(Country: Czech Republic Slovak Republic; Year: 2021; Director: Miro Remo; Writer: Miro Remo, Juraj Šlauka)

Bird Atlas (Atlas Ptáku)

Review preview for Bird Atlas

There’s a dryness to this comedic drama which occasionally makes it drag, but Omerzu breaks with it to great effect in places, when he’s ready to present contrasting scenes of highly emotive, character-driven drama.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
An ageing proprietor of a technology company has dedicated his whole life to his work, so it comes as a big blow when he discovers that payments to suppliers have been held up for months. But what can he do when the firm’s accountant is nowhere to be seen?

(Country: Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia; Year: 2021; Director: Olmo Omerzu; Writer: Olmo Omerzu, Petr Pýcha; Stars: Miroslav Donutil, Alena Mihulová, Martin Pechlát, Eliska Krenková, Voytek Kotek)

Full review

Boiling Point

Review preview for Boiling Point

Given the state of the things, it's fair to say that some of the situations that will arise are telegraphed ahead of time, but that adds rather than detracts from the tension - after all, aren't all satisfying meals in some ways connected to anticipation?

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
The shift has hardly begun for head chef Andy and he’s already behind with everything. His restaurant is overbooked, there’s a disgruntled inspector combing the kitchen and, if that weren’t enough, a culinary icon and a respected food critic have turned up for dinner.

(Country: UK; Year: 2020; Director: Philip Barantini; Writer: James Cummings, Philip Barantini; Stars: Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, Jason Flemyng, Ray Panthaki, Malachi Kirby, Alice Feetham, izuka Hoyle, Hannah Walters, Taz Skylar, Lauryn Ajufo)

Full review

Every Single Minute (Každá Minuta Zivota)

A documentary about a couple from Slovakia, have decided to bring up their child according to Kamevéda.

(Country: Czech Republic, Slovak Republic; Year: 2021; Director: Erika Hníková; Writer: Erika Hníková, Tomáš Bojar)

The Exam

If Rojin doesn’t pass the university entrance exam, she will have to go through with an arranged marriage. If she does get in, she will be free.

(Country: Germany, Iraq, Qatar; Year: 2021; Director: Shawkat Amin Korki; Writer: Shawkat Amin Korki; Stars: Avan Jamal, Vania Salar, Hussein Hassan, Hoshyar Nerwayi, Kawa Kadir, Shwan Attoof)

The Land Of The Sons (La Terra Dei Figli)

Civilisation is coming to an end. The death of his only relative gives a feral boy the pretext to journey beyond the confines of his home environment.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2021; Director: Claudio Cupellini; Writer: Filippo Gravino, Guido Iuculano, Claudio Cupellini, based on the graphic novel by Gipi; Stars: Leon de La Vallée, Paolo Pierobon, Maria Roveran, Valerio Mastandrea, Valeria Golino)

Nö

Two thirtysomethings reflect on their relationship and the social expectations surrounding it.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2021; Director: Dietrich Brüggemann; Writer: Anna Brüggemann, Dietrich Brüggemann; Stars: Anna Brüggemann, Alexander Khuon, Isolde Barth, Hanns Zischler, Petra Schmidt-Schaller)

Le Prince

A curator and an immigrant from Congo, a businessman with an unclear past and present, meet during a police raid at a bar, when the first of many sparks flies between them.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2021; Director: Lisa Bierwirth; Writer: Hannes Held, Lisa Bierwirth; Stars: Ursula Strauss, Passi Balende)

Saving One Who Was Dead

After a man goes into a coma, his wife and son try to adjust to the uncertain situation.

(Country: Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, France; Year: 2021; Director: Václav Kadrnka; Writer: Václav Kadrnka, Marek Šindelka, Jiří Soukup; Stars: Zuzana Mauréry, Vojtěch Dyk, Petr Salavec)

The Staffroom (Zbornica)

When a counsellor starts work at a new school, we see the kind of people the staffroom teachers are, witnessing their petty conflicts and the power games that go on behind the scenes.

(Country: Croatia; Year: 2021; Director: Sonja Tarokić; Writer: Sonja Tarokić; Stars: Marina Redžepović, Stojan Matavulj, Nives Ivanković, Maja Posavec, Sandra Lončarić)

Wars

When Emma turns twenty, she decides to join the army. Not only does she want to follow in her father’s footsteps, but she also yearns to rid herself of an oppressive sense of existential emptiness.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2021; Director: Nicolas Roy; Writer: Cynthia Tremblay; Stars: David La Haye, Éléonore Loiselle)