Movie Review

Written and directed by Jan Hrebejk, video, subtitles, 122 minutes, Czech

This is the story of Josef and Maria, a childless couple in a city in Czechoslovakia during W.W.11. The Jews have been driven out in the years previous and their friend Horst who had been subordinate to Joseph in the shoe factory owned by the Weiner family is now a Nazi Collaborator. He is the local housing inspector; a cheerful presence who constantly drops in unexpectedly, supplies them with contraband and openly but courteously lusts after Maria. This dynamically balanced scene of domesticity is radically upset when David (Weiner) returns to his home town and is hidden in the cellar by the couple. There are several comic scenes of near discovery and ironically Joseph goes to work with Horst as a Collaborator in order to divert suspicion from David's presence. Horst's credo for surviving the Nazi presence is "United we stand". As fellow Czechs we must do everything we can to survive.

The story takes a humorous turn when simultaneously Josef visits a doctor and learns that he is indeed sterile and Maria brushes off Horst's advances by saying that she thinks she is pregnant and "doesn't want to take a chance". Horst doesn't believe her and is miffed at being put off so arranges for his own Nazi Boss to stay in the flat occupied 'only' by the young couple. Maria cheerfully lies and says she is pregnant, a surprise to both Josef and Horst.

What will they do? Their lie will soon be apparent. Well, there is David! So unfolds the way that the miracle child becomes the son of David.

The Tito Partisans regain the city and chaos reigns as the formerly oppressed become the new apparatchiks, collaborators become prisoners and Maria's baby decides to arrive. The doctor has committed suicide. Josef, desperate for assistance names Horst to the Partisans as the family doctor. Josef himself has been denounced as a collaborator and desperately tries to find David to prove that he, Josef, is a bona fide Patriot. David is asked by the Partisan Commander whether Horst the Collaborator is 'really a doctor'. ("Art thou the king of the Jews?") David replies "All I know is that he knew I was there all the time but he never turned me in."

In the next-to-last scene Partisan, Collaborator, suspicious neighbour and Fugitive all stand like Magi at the birth of the miracle child. The movie poses the critical question for modern times and indeed the saving message of Jesus in John 14. Will humankind thrive in an atmosphere where groups unite together to stand against the others or are we united at a much deeper level of our humanity where, if we are divided by our differences and self interest, we will fall? Religion has often not been our friend in this quest.