directed by Václav Kadrnka, drama, 75 min, eng subtitles
written by Václav Kadrnka
with Zuzana Lapčíková, Martin Pavluš
Eighty Letters is an autobiographical story based on the memories of the director and the surviving correspondence between his parents. The story takes place in Czechoslovakia in 1987, after the father has defected to England and the mother and her son are trying to leave the country to join him. A husband, a wife and their child - even at a distance they are still together, but the forced break-up of any family represents an abnormal situation which is painful and absurd to deal with for all the parties involved.
The film is told through the eyes of the fourteen-year-old boy, his rankled look without the veneer of experience or initiation, in just one day, as his mother is going about a ramped-up daily routine, mapping out every step hour by hour. It is a battlefield situation for her. He catches up with her in the midst of it but she must act alone in order to make their reunion a reality.
Awards:
Berlin IFF 2011 (Forum, nomination for Best First Feature Film)
Finale Pilsen 2011 (The Golden Kingfisher Award for the Best Feature Film)