Identity Card

I am a generation (born in 1986) that has never experienced anything as ceremonial as the official issuing of identification cards. I have to say that I am quite glad because I have already had three graduations, one as the winner of the best bachelor's thesis competition, and I must say that it was also an event that did not impress me in any way. Everything was very official, staged. Still, it was better than the theater that young people had to witness during the socialist era. The depiction of the issuing of identification cards in this film is not necessarily epic, but it is definitely portrayed excellently. On one side, there are loyal communists, and on the other side, there are rebels who want to resist, even just a little. It was a sad time, and I am glad that I was born at a time when the communists' bell was tolling and a bright capitalist future awaited us. Yes, there is a bit of irony in that, but the review should not dwell on it. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/obcansky-prukaz-2010-75.html (03/15/2013)

Revolting, grinning, and sobbing. Considering how fed up I am with the places Czech filmmakers constantly turn, Identity Card is an incredibly uplifting experience. Additionally, the fact that Petr Jarchovský is the one writing for Ondřej Trojan this time is literally its salvation, because I wouldn't believe Jan Hřebejk's returns to the past even with a C cup. (01/17/2014)

A film with a pleasant, fresh and (with a few exceptions) not that well known of a cast, but which will be appreciated mainly by those nostalgic for the depicted era. For me, a person who didn't nod and say "Yeah, yeah, that's it" all the time while watching, because he simply didn't experience it, I was left with a strangely incoherent story made up of various episodes, a parade of typical Šabach characters (so nothing original either), an incredibly long runtime (it seemed a dull three hours to me) and otherwise nothing much. In short, another variation on a theme that has been seen several times before. (12/18/2011)

The last thing our cinema needs at the moment is another bittersweet episodic comedy drama about surviving "back then, all those years ago" from the Jarchov stable... But what can I do if I simply have a soft spot for this type of Czech mainstream movie? Especially when the mix of "fun with the serious" in Identity Card is the best such mix in a long time. And if the parade of great (and well-played) characters and individual scenes were accompanied by a more interesting main protagonist, my satisfaction would have been even greater. (10/25/2010)

The "something" that was missing between Pupendo's harmless nostalgia and the hard disillusioned Androš... and it's going to get worse, it's coming in Identity Card. A film about responsibility, rebellion, quiet dignity and the price of freedom can make you laugh through Šabach escapades, but at the same time cut into the living with nicely profiled and believable characters. Identity Card has one flaw – the narrative framework lacks a solid story pattern, and all the weight is borne by the central boy quartet. The boys are skillful and direct, but they have no chance to carry the weight of slow storytelling without Trojan's film losing its pace. A more consistent edit would certainly not hurt the overall concept. Luckily, there's always a Dylan Point heard just in time, and Trojan edits some first-rate scene into it, so I left the movie theatre with the uplifting feeling that everything’s not fucked as long as we could laugh (and recognize that we were laughing at ourselves) without awkwardness. Identity Card is able to do it, and let it be praised all the way to a pure and undiluted four stars. Along with Walking Too Fast, Czech film of the year. (09/29/2010)