Walking Too Fast
Film poster
CzechPouta
Directed byRadim Špaček
Written byOndřej Štindl
Produced byVratislav Šlajer
StarringOndřej Malý
CinematographyJaromír Kačer
Edited byAnna Ryndová
Music byTomáš Vtípil
Production
companies
Bionaut Films
Ceská Televize
ALEF Film & Media Group
Universal Production Partners
Film Studio Gatteo (co-production) Soundsquare
Distributed byBontonfilm
Release dates
  • 3 October 2009 (2009-10-03) (Ostrava Film Festival)
  • 4 February 2010 (2010-02-04)
Running time
146 minutes
Countries
  • Czech Republic
  • Slovak Republic
  • Poland[1]
LanguageCzech
Budget15,000,000 Kč[2]
Box office$71,105[3]

Walking Too Fast (Czech: Pouta, literally handcuffs or bonds) is a Czech thriller and drama film directed by Radim Špaček. It was released in 2010. It is a psychological story about relations between the secret police (StB) and the dissident movement, set in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. The film was likened to the German film The Lives of Others.

Walking Too Fast is described as a dark thriller with an unpredictable protagonist who becomes dangerous to all people around including himself. His way to reach the goal is self-destructive.

Plot

The story revolves around Antonín Rusnák who is an StB agent. He feels rage towards the world. He feels sick and bored from his family and work. His psychological issues cause him breathing problems and his doctor advises him to breathe into a bag if he gets a fit.

Antonín and his partner Martin surveil Tomáš and Pavel. They are both dissidents but Pavel is also collaborating with Antonín and Martin. Antonín finds out that Tomáš, who is married, has a lover, Klára. Antonín becomes interested in her. He secretly follows her and uses his authority to protect her. He beats up a guy who bothers her or prevents her boss from firing her because of her links to the dissidents. He also pushes Tomáš to leave the country to get rid of him. He beats him up during interrogations and reveals his affair to his family and Tomáš finally decides to leave Czechoslovakia.

Antonín forces Pavel to arrange a meeting with Klára in exchange for seeing his file. Pavel then meets Antonín's partner Martin in order to reveal the agreement he made with Antonín. Martin states that Antonín is done at StB but doesn't know that Antonín is aware of their meeting and lures Martin to the woods where he attacks him and threatens him with a gun. Martin begs him for his life and Antonín handcuffs him to a tree.

Antonín and Klára meet in Pavel's apartment. The meeting doesn't end well and Antonín gets a fit so he breathes into the bag which makes Klára realize that Antonín is the agent who terrorized Tomáš. He tells her that he followed her and she admits that she felt as if somebody was watching her for a long time. Antonín reveals his name and she says that he has to stop watching her.

Klára leaves the apartment but writes a message for Pavel on the Wall - "Svině" (Swine). Klára goes Home and meets the ambulance that takes her pregnant Friend Darina to the Hospital. She gets on the ambulance but looks around if anybody watches her. The film ends with Antonín waking up at the lakeside. The audience can now hear his thoughts as he enters the lake and goes deeper and deeper. He thinks about who he was and hopes that Klára will remember his name. In the end he states "It is beautiful here" as he kills himself.

Cast

  • Ondřej Malý – Antonín Rusnák, a State Security agent
  • Martin Finger – Tomáš Sýkora, a dissident[4][5]
  • Kristína Farkašová – Klára Kadlecová, Tomáš's lover
  • Luboš Veselý – Pavel Veselý, an important figure in the dissident movement and a close friend to Tomáš
  • Lukáš Latinák – Martin Husár, Antonín's partner
  • Barbora Milotová – Silvie Sýkorová – Tomáš's wife
  • Ivana Uhlířová – Darina, Klára's friend
  • Oldřich Kaiser – Janeček, Antonín and Martin's boss
  • Iva Pazderková – Miluška
  • Jana Janěková – Šimková
  • Monika Fingerová – Rusnák's wife
  • Jiří Štrébl – Martinec
  • Cyril Drozda – Doctor
  • Natálie Drabiščáková – Anna Řeháková

Production

The film was inspired by 1995's Casino. Screenwriter Ondřej Štindl decided to make a similar story that would replace mobsters with agents of Communist State Security.[6][7] The first version of screenwriting was made in 2002.[8] Actors for the film were chosen in casting that took 18 months.[9]

Shooting started in December 2008 and concluded in the summer of 2009. The film was shot in Prague, Ostrava and Bratislava.[8] Post-production concluded in December 2009.[9]

Release

The film premiered on 4 February 2010.[10] The film returned to cinemas on 3 March 2011 as a reaction to its success at the Czech Lion Awards.[11]

Awards

The film received 13 nominations for the Czech Lion. It won five of them - Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Actor in Leading Role. The film also received the Film Critics' Award.

Walking Too Fast also succeeded at the Czech Film Critics' Awards. The film won awards in five categories - Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in Leading Role and RWE Award.

Reception

The film has won universal acclaim from critics in the Czech Republic. Out of all Czech films Walking too fast is number one on Czech movie aggregator Kinobox.cz where it holds 87% from critics.[12][13] František Fuka considers it to be the best Czech film in the few last years if not the best since the Velvet revolution. The film holds 74% on Czech-Slovak Film Database.[14]

Reviews

  • Jaroslav Sedláček, Kinobox.cz, February 4, 2010 85%[10]
  • Kamil Fila, Aktuálně.cz, February 5, 2010 75%[15]
  • Kamila Boháčková, A2 3/2010[16]
  • Jan Gregor, Respekt 5/2010, February 1, 2010[17]
  • Vít Schmarc, MovieZone.cz, January 26, 2010 90%[18]
  • František Fuka, FFFilm, January 11, 2010 100%[19]

Accolades

Date of ceremony Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2010 Finále Plzeň Film Festival Golden Kingfisher for the Best Film Radim Špaček Nominated [20][21]
Golden Kingfisher for the Best Actor Ondřej Malý Won
Special Recognition Radim Špaček Won
Warsaw International Film Festival Best Film Bionaut Films Nominated [22]
2011 Czech Film Critics' Awards Best Film Bionaut Films Won [23]
Best Director Radim Špaček Won
Best Cinematography Jaromír Kačer Nominated
Best Screenplay Ondřej Štindl Won
Best Original Soundtrack Tomáš Vtípil Nominated
Best Actor in Leading Role Ondřej Malý Won
RWE Award Ondřej Malý Won
Czech Lion Awards Best Film Radim Špaček Won [24]
Best Director Radim Špaček Won
Best Screenplay Ondřej Štindl Won
Best Supporting Actress Kristína Farkašová Nominated
Best Actress in a Leading Role Barbora Milotová Nominated
Best Actor in Leading Role Ondřej Malý Won
Best Supporting Actor Lukáš Latinák Nominated
Oldřich Kaiser Nominated
Best Cinematography Jaromír Kačer Won
Best Music Tomáš Vtípil Nominated
Best Editing Anna Johnson Ryndová Nominated
Best Sound Jakub Čech, Marek Hart Nominated
Best Design Pavol Andraško Nominated
Film Critics and Theoretics Award for the Best Film Radim Špaček Won
Trilobit Awards Best film Radim Špaček Won [25]

International festivals

The film was shown at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, East European Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival.

References

  1. ↑ Alissa Simon (26 October 2010). "Review: 'Walking Too Fast'". Variety. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Bláhová, Jindřiška (14 December 2011). "Druhého Vejdělka nebo Svěráka český filmový trh nepotřebuje, říká producent Pout" (in Czech). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "2010 Czech Republic Yearly Box Office Results". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Pouta | Pouta recenzia | Feeling Movies". Archived from the original on 2011-01-21.
  5. ↑ http://kostlan.blog.respekt.ihned.cz/c1-45951550-pouta-jako-estebacka-lovestory Czech
  6. ↑ Foll, Jan (4 February 2010). "Pozoruhodné retro Radima Špačka Pouta vypráví o normalizačním dusnu". Hospodářské noviny (in Czech). Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Topol, Jáchym (5 February 2010). "Vítězství páchnoucího filmu". Lidovky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Press: Nový film Radima Špačka - Pouta". fdb.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  9. 1 2 Podskalská, Jana (11 December 2009). "Pouta: Radim Špaček vypráví příběh moci". Deník.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  10. 1 2 Sedláček, Jaroslav (12 February 2019). "Retro recenze: Pouta - nejlepší porevoluční český thriller, který jste nikdy neviděli". Kinobox.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Pouta se vracejí do kin!". Kinobox.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "Nejlepší český film podle kritiků za posledních 10 let? Nejvíce zaujal psychopatický totalitní policajt". Kinobox.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Nejlepší české filmy podle hodnocení kritiků".
  14. ↑ "Pouta (2009)".
  15. ↑ Fila, Kamil (5 February 2010). "Recenze: Pouta mají zpřetrhané vazby na všechno". aktualne.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  16. ↑ Boháčková, Kamila (2010). "Proč jsou Pouta český film dekády". advojka.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  17. ↑ Gregor, Jan (31 January 2010). "Pod okem orla". Respekt (in Czech). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "Pouta: Recenze". moviezone.cz. 26 January 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  19. ↑ "Recenze: Pouta - 100%" (in Czech). 11 January 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  20. ↑ Zýková, Veronika (25 April 2010). "Festival českých filmů Finále 2010 den po dni". 25fps. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  21. ↑ "Kdo si na letošním Finále uloví Zlatého ledňáčka?". topzine.cz (in Czech). 14 April 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  22. ↑ "Film Pouta bude soutěžit ve Varšavě". Lidovky.cz (in Czech). 23 September 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  23. ↑ "Ceny české filmové kritiky 2010". filmovakritika.cz. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "Český lev / 2010". filmovaakademie.cz. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  25. ↑ "FITES ocenil estébácká Pouta i festival Jeden svět". Aktuálně.cz (in Czech). 29 January 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
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