tortoise-40629

I saw this film on TV pretty soon after it first came out and loved it. It was an insightful coming of age film, as well as a quirky but good depiction of the absurdities of life under communism in the then Czechoslovakia. The humour is a mix of the subtle and not so subtle, and the dramatic content is well handled. The acting is superb, with all cast members putting in a good effort and the leads absolutely smashing it. The film is funny, touching and ultimately uplifting. 10 stars, but for the problems with the DVD, which was a major disappointment.

It was hard to find the DVD, but I eventually found it on Amazon, advertised as having English subtitles. Unfortunately only the dialogue is subtitled, not the witty and interesting voice-over, so much of the film's charm is lost.