Film Archive

Home Care

Official Selection - Competition 2015 / Domácí péče / Czech Republic, Slovak Republic 2015

Everyone knows about the finality of human existence but the realization of life’s actual limits comes to each of us individually and often unexpectedly. Dedicated home care nurse Vlasta (Alena Mihulová) lives for her husband Láďa (Bolek Polívka), her daughter, and her patients. But then one day things change and Vlasta is forced to react. This mature debut portrays deadly serious issues with a gentle humor.

Synopsis

Dedicated home care nurse Vlasta lives for her husband Láďa, her daughter and her patients. This abstemious woman who radiates joy begins each day with a drop of plum brandy, and not even the whims of her clients can wipe that sweet smile off her face. Her Láďa might be a Moravian free spirit who’s happy with a simple answer to every question, but the two of them are united by an inseverable bond. One ordinary day ends differently from all the others, however, and not only Vlasta but everyone around her are going to have to get used to the fact that she’s the one who’s going to need looking after. Everyone knows about the finality of human existence but the realisation of life’s actual limits comes to each of us individually and often unexpectedly. Slávek Horák, whose mature debut portrays deadly serious issues with gentle humour, relied on his own experience and his ability to transform it into a universally eloquent story, aided among others by respected script editor Jan Gogola and fine performances from the cast, in particular, Alena Mihulová (Vlasta) and Bolek Polívka (Láďa).

Karel Och

About the film

92 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Slávek Horák / Screenplay Slávek Horák / Dir. of Photography Jan Šťastný / Editor Vladimír Barák / Producer Slávek Horák / Production TVORBA films / Coproduction Fog 'n' Desire Films, Česká televize, Svoboda&Williams, Sokol Kollár / Cast Alena Mihulová, Boleslav Polívka, Tatiana Vilhelmová / Contact TVORBA films / Distributor A-Company Czech s.r.o.
www: www.domaci-pece-film.cz

About the director

Slávek Horák (b. 1975, Gottwaldov / Zlín, Czechoslovakia) studied at the Zlín Film School under Jan Gogola. He then attended Prague’s FAMU, taking courses in feature film direction and screenwriting; however, having become so successful directing commercial spots (he shot over 120 of them over the space of fifteen years), he ended up not completing his studies. As second assistant director he worked on the set of Jan Svěrák’s Kolya, awarded the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. He shot two short films for the international project Straight8, both of which were selected in their respective years for the final six and screened at the festival in Cannes. The screenplay for his debut Home Care, which was produced by Horák’s own TVORBA films, won an award from the Film Foundation.