Sunday 20 august 2023, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: ZAHRADA * The Garden * 1995 * Directed by Martin Sulik * 99 minutes * In Slovak with English subtitles * Doors open at 20:30, intro & film start at 21:00.
Wow, here is a very special film which is hardly ever screened, despite the fact that it was a multiple award-winner when it came out. The kind of magical film that many people feel the urge to see it over and over again….. Zahrada is deeply loved in its home country, and its a wonderful example of magic realism in contemporary cinema.
The main character’s life in this film has reached a dead-end. He decides to leave his job, and then gets into a fight with his father. The trouble is compounded by his affair with a married woman. An affair that doesn’t make him happy. Breaking out, he escapes from his previous world to retreat to a small country house in the countryside which had been his grandfather’s garden. There he finds his life transforming through the powers of nature.
Some people have called this film a comedy, but its humor works on such a subtle level that it can’t be compared to the blunt comedies from Hollywood, for example. It’s ingenuous, transcendent and spellbinding. It gives you the feeling of entering a new dimension where the distinction between reality and fiction gradually vanishes. The pace of the film is unrushed and almost dreamlike, slowly unfolding in totally unexpected directions.
One viewer’s comment:
“The powerful images of the mystical garden are dream-like, but also very real. It takes you to a place where you feel it touches your innermost wishes of tranquillity and peace. A dream within a dream, a fantasy that becomes reality. Let this movie take you to a place you never imagined existed…..and enjoy the ride.”
Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net
