Walking Too Fast
{{Short description|2009 Czech thriller film}}
{{Other uses|Pouta (song)}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Walking Too Fast
| native_name = {{Infobox name module
| language = Czech
| title = Pouta
| nolink =
}}
| image = WalkingTooFast2010Poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Film poster
| director = Radim Špaček
| producer = Vratislav Šlajer
| writer = Ondřej Štindl
| starring = Ondřej Malý
| music = Tomáš Vtípil
| cinematography = Jaromír Kačer
| editing = Anna Ryndová
| studio = Bionaut Films
Ceská Televize
ALEF Film & Media Group
Universal Production Partners
Film Studio Gatteo (co-production)
Soundsquare
| distributor = Bontonfilm
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2009|10|03|Ostrava Film Festival|2010|2|4}}
| runtime = 146 minutes
| country = {{Plainlist|
- Czech Republic
- Slovak Republic
- Poland{{cite web |work=Variety |author=Alissa Simon |accessdate=23 October 2016 |title=Review: 'Walking Too Fast' |date=26 October 2010 |url=https://variety.com/2010/film/reviews/walking-too-fast-1117943927/ }}
}}
| language = Czech
}}
Walking Too Fast ({{langx|cs|Pouta}}, literally handcuffs or bonds) is a Czech thriller and drama film directed by Radim Špaček. It was released in 2010. It is a psychological story about relations between the secret police (StB) and the dissident movement, set in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. The film was likened to the German film The Lives of Others.
Walking Too Fast is described as a dark thriller with an unpredictable protagonist who becomes dangerous to all people around including himself. His way to reach the goal is self-destructive.
Plot
The story revolves around Antonín Rusnák who is an StB agent. He feels rage towards the world. He feels sick and bored from his family and work. His psychological issues cause him breathing problems and his doctor advises him to breathe into a bag if he gets a fit.
Antonín and his partner Martin surveil Tomáš and Pavel. They are both dissidents but Pavel is also collaborating with Antonín and Martin. Antonín finds out that Tomáš, who is married, has a lover, Klára. Antonín becomes interested in her. He secretly follows her and uses his authority to protect her. He beats up a guy who bothers her or prevents her boss from firing her because of her links to the dissidents. He also pushes Tomáš to leave the country to get rid of him. He beats him up during interrogations and reveals his affair to his family and Tomáš finally decides to leave Czechoslovakia.
Antonín forces Pavel to arrange a meeting with Klára in exchange for seeing his file. Pavel then meets Antonín's partner Martin in order to reveal the agreement he made with Antonín. Martin states that Antonín is done at StB but doesn't know that Antonín is aware of their meeting and lures Martin to the woods where he attacks him and threatens him with a gun. Martin begs him for his life and Antonín handcuffs him to a tree.
Antonín and Klára meet in Pavel's apartment. The meeting doesn't end well and Antonín gets a fit so he breathes into the bag which makes Klára realize that Antonín is the agent who terrorized Tomáš. He tells her that he followed her and she admits that she felt as if somebody was watching her for a long time. Antonín reveals his name and she says that he has to stop watching her.
Klára leaves the apartment but writes a message for Pavel on the Wall - "Svině" (Swine). Klára goes Home and meets the ambulance that takes her pregnant Friend Darina to the Hospital. She gets on the ambulance but looks around if anybody watches her. The film ends with Antonín waking up at the lakeside. The audience can now hear his thoughts as he enters the lake and goes deeper and deeper. He thinks about who he was and hopes that Klára will remember his name. In the end he states "It is beautiful here" as he kills himself.
Cast
- Ondřej Malý – Antonín Rusnák, a State Security agent
- Martin Finger – Tomáš Sýkora, a dissident{{cite web |url=http://www.feelingmovies.sk/2010/pouta/6503 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121175818/http://www.feelingmovies.sk/2010/pouta/6503 |archive-date=2011-01-21 |title=Pouta {{!}} Pouta recenzia {{!}} Feeling Movies}}http://kostlan.blog.respekt.ihned.cz/c1-45951550-pouta-jako-estebacka-lovestory Czech
- Kristína Farkašová – Klára Kadlecová, Tomáš's lover
- Luboš Veselý – Pavel Veselý, an important figure in the dissident movement and a close friend to Tomáš
- Lukáš Latinák – Martin Husár, Antonín's partner
- Barbora Milotová – Silvie Sýkorová – Tomáš's wife
- Ivana Uhlířová – Darina, Klára's friend
- Oldřich Kaiser – Janeček, Antonín and Martin's boss
- Iva Pazderková – Miluška
- Jana Janěková – Šimková
- Monika Fingerová – Rusnák's wife
- Jiří Štrébl – Martinec
- Cyril Drozda – Doctor
- Natálie Drabiščáková – Anna Řeháková
Production
The film was inspired by 1995's Casino. Screenwriter Ondřej Štindl decided to make a similar story that would replace mobsters with agents of Communist State Security.{{cite web |last1=Foll |first1=Jan |title=Pozoruhodné retro Radima Špačka Pouta vypráví o normalizačním dusnu |url=https://art.ihned.cz/film-a-televize/c1-40343350-pozoruhodne-retro-radima-spacka-pouta-vypravi-o-normalizacnim-dusnu |website=Hospodářské noviny |accessdate=9 September 2018 |language=cs|date=4 February 2010}}{{cite web |first=Jáchym |last=Topol
|title=Vítězství páchnoucího filmu |url=https://www.lidovky.cz/vitezstvi-pachnouciho-filmu-dio-/noviny.aspx?c=A100205_000037_ln_noviny_sko&klic=235348&mes=100205_0 |website=Lidovky.cz |accessdate=9 September 2018 |language=cs |date=5 February 2010}} The first version of screenwriting was made in 2002. Actors for the film were chosen in casting that took 18 months.
Shooting started in December 2008 and concluded in the summer of 2009. The film was shot in Prague, Ostrava and Bratislava.{{cite web |title=Press: Nový film Radima Špačka - Pouta |url=https://www.fdb.cz/magazin/2009120702-press-novy-film-radima-spacka-pouta.html |website=fdb.cz |accessdate=9 September 2018 |language=cs}} Post-production concluded in December 2009.{{cite news |last1=Podskalská |first1=Jana |title=Pouta: Radim Špaček vypráví příběh moci |url=https://www.denik.cz/film/pouta-radim-spacek-vypravi-pribeh-moci20091211.html |website=Deník.cz |accessdate=9 September 2018 |language=cs |date=11 December 2009}}
Release
The film premiered on 4 February 2010.{{cite web |first=Jaroslav |last=Sedláček |title=Retro recenze: Pouta - nejlepší porevoluční český thriller, který jste nikdy neviděli |url=https://www.kinobox.cz/clanek/3564-recenze-pouta |website=Kinobox.cz |date=12 February 2019 |accessdate=29 October 2023 |language=cs}} The film returned to cinemas on 3 March 2011 as a reaction to its success at the Czech Lion Awards.{{cite web |title=Pouta se vracejí do kin! |url=https://www.kinobox.cz/clanek/4773-pouta-se-vraceji-do-kin |website=Kinobox.cz |accessdate=9 September 2018 |language=cs}}
Awards
The film received 13 nominations for the Czech Lion. It won five of them - Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Actor in Leading Role. The film also received the Film Critics' Award.
Walking Too Fast also succeeded at the Czech Film Critics' Awards. The film won awards in five categories - Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in Leading Role and RWE Award.
Reception
The film has won universal acclaim from critics in the Czech Republic. Out of all Czech films Walking too fast is number one on Czech movie aggregator Kinobox.cz where it holds 87% from critics.{{cite web|title=Nejlepší český film podle kritiků za posledních 10 let? Nejvíce zaujal psychopatický totalitní policajt|url=https://www.kinobox.cz/clanek/13147-kuky-v-pekle-sezony-protektor-sedmero-krkavcu-pouta-kamaramazovi-ztraceni-v-mnichove-nejlepsi-ceske-filmy-za-poslednich-10-let-podle-kritiku|website=Kinobox.cz|accessdate=4 March 2018|language=cs}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.kinobox.cz/zebricky/kritici/filmy/jen_ceske|title=Nejlepší české filmy podle hodnocení kritiků}} František Fuka considers it to be the best Czech film in the few last years if not the best since the Velvet revolution. The film holds 74% on Czech-Slovak Film Database.{{Cite web|url=http://www.csfd.cz/film/252468-pouta/|title = Pouta (2009)}}
= Reviews=
- Jaroslav Sedláček, Kinobox.cz, February 4, 2010 85%
- Kamil Fila, Aktuálně.cz, February 5, 2010 75%{{cite web|first=Kamil |last=Fila |url=https://magazin.aktualne.cz/kultura/film/recenze-pouta-maji-zpretrhane-vazby-na-vsechno/r~i:article:659832/|title=Recenze: Pouta mají zpřetrhané vazby na všechno|language=cs|work=aktualne.cz|date=5 February 2010|access-date=29 October 2023}}
- Kamila Boháčková, A2 3/2010{{cite web|first=Kamila|last=Boháčková|url=https://www.advojka.cz/archiv/2010/3/proc-jsou-pouta-cesky-film-dekady|title=Proč jsou Pouta český film dekády|language=cs|work=advojka.cz|date=2010|access-date=29 October 2023}}
- Jan Gregor, Respekt 5/2010, February 1, 2010{{cite web|first=Jan|last=Gregor|url=http://respekt.ihned.cz/c1-40226150-pod-okem-orla|url-access=subscription|title=Pod okem orla|language=cs|work=Respekt|date=31 January 2010|access-date=29 October 2023}}
- Vít Schmarc, MovieZone.cz, January 26, 2010 90%{{cite web|url=http://film.moviezone.cz/pouta/recenze/|title=Pouta: Recenze|work=moviezone.cz|date=26 January 2010|access-date=29 October 2023}}
- František Fuka, FFFilm, January 11, 2010 100%{{cite web|url=https://www.fffilm.cz/2010/01/recenze-pouta-100.html|title=Recenze: Pouta - 100%|language=cs|date=11 January 2010|access-date=29 October 2023}}
= Accolades =
| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 99%;" |
| scope="col"|Date of ceremony
! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Recipient(s) ! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Refh}} |
|---|
| rowspan="4"|2010
| rowspan="3"|Finále Plzeň Film Festival | Golden Kingfisher for the Best Film | Radim Špaček | {{nominated}} | rowspan="3"|{{cite web|first=Veronika|last=Zýková|title=Festival českých filmů Finále 2010 den po dni|url=http://25fps.cz/2010/festival-ceskych-filmu-finale-2010-den-po-dni/|website=25fps|date=25 April 2010|accessdate=20 August 2017}}{{cite web|title=Kdo si na letošním Finále uloví Zlatého ledňáčka?|url=https://www.topzine.cz/kdo-si-na-letosnim-finale-ulovi-zlateho-lednacka|website=topzine.cz|date=14 April 2010|accessdate=20 August 2017|language=cs}} |
| Golden Kingfisher for the Best Actor
| {{won}} |
| Special Recognition
| Radim Špaček | {{won}} |
| Warsaw International Film Festival
| Best Film | Bionaut Films | {{nominated}} |
| rowspan="30"| 2011
| rowspan="7"|Czech Film Critics' Awards | Best Film | Bionaut Films | {{won}} |
| Best Director
| {{won}} |
| Best Cinematography
| Jaromír Kačer | {{nominated}} |
| Best Screenplay
| {{won}} |
| Best Original Soundtrack
| Tomáš Vtípil | {{nominated}} |
| Best Actor in Leading Role
| {{won}} |
| RWE Award
| {{won}} |
| rowspan="14"|Czech Lion Awards
| Best Film | Radim Špaček | {{won}} |
| Best Director
| {{won}} |
| Best Screenplay
| {{won}} |
| Best Supporting Actress
| Kristína Farkašová | {{nominated}} |
| Best Actress in a Leading Role
| Barbora Milotová | {{nominated}} |
| Best Actor in Leading Role
| {{won}} |
| rowspan="2"|Best Supporting Actor
| {{nominated}} |
| Oldřich Kaiser
| {{nominated}} |
| Best Cinematography
| Jaromír Kačer | {{won}} |
| Best Music
| {{nominated}} |
| Best Editing
| {{nominated}} |
| Best Sound
| Jakub Čech, Marek Hart | {{nominated}} |
| Best Design
| Pavol Andraško | {{nominated}} |
| Film Critics and Theoretics Award for the Best Film
| {{won}} |
| Trilobit Awards
| Best film | {{won}} |
International festivals
The film was shown at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, East European Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|1359434}}
- [http://www.csfd.cz/film/252468-pouta/ Czech-Slovak film database]
- [http://www.pouta-film.cz/ Official site]
{{CzechLionBestFilm}}
Category:2000s Czech-language films
Category:Czech Lion Awards winners (films)
Category:Czech Film Critics' Awards winners
Category:Films set in Czechoslovakia
Category:Golden Kingfisher winners