Intimate Lighting

Petr heads out of town to visit Bambas, his former classmate from the conservatoire who has organised a concert with the local musicians. Essentially, nothing much else happens in the film – the two drink and chat late into the night, they play some music together.... By all accounts Petr, who brought his attractive girlfriend with him, hasn’t settled down and is enjoying his freedom. Bambas, on the other hand, has a house full of screaming kids and he’s at the beck and call of his mother-in-law and especially his jovial and active father-in-law. He’s set to play at a funeral as well – the house isn’t finished and every penny helps. The two friends haven’t seen each other for ten years and now they’re trying to determine exactly what remains of their youthful ideals. Bambas feels he’s dug himself in too deep, but Petr perhaps wouldn’t mind swapping places with him. The film, constructed from trivial moments, gentle barbed humour and wisps of melancholy, is akin to that proverbial drop of rain through which we view the world: with insight and authenticity it speaks of the crisis facing 30-somethings and of the things that constitute our entire lives.

Intimate Lighting is another film which is being screened for the first time in its digitally restored version before an international audience at the Karlovy Vary festival. The rigorous restoration process was financed by the Czech Film Foundation and the UPP postproduction house, where the work was undertaken in cooperation with Soundsquare sound studio.