Služobníci
Služebníci
Directed by:
Ivan OstrochovskýCinematography:
Juraj ChlpíkCast:
Samuel Skyva, Samuel Polakovič, Vlad Ivanov, Vladimír Strnisko, Milan Mikulčík, Tomáš Turek, Vladimír Zboroň, Martin Šulík, Vladimír Obšil, Zvonko Lakčevič (more)VOD (1)
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The Catholic Church is having a hard time in Czechoslovakia in the early 1980s. The communist regime threatens to crush it unless it submits to strict control and accepts restrictions on freedom of belief and expression. The clergy is divided into the regime-critical “catacomb church”, which maintains contact with the Vatican and Western media, and the “ecclesiastical hierarchy” which cooperates with those in power and is represented by the state-sponsored priests’ association Pacem in Terris that existed in the ČSSR from 1971 to 1989. This is the context in which young seminarians Michal and Juraj have to decide whether to remain faithful to their vocation and idealism or to bow to pressure from the secret police. Ostrochovský has created an austere, overwhelming black-and-white work in which he artfully contrasts the pallor of marble, plaster and faces with the darkness of the night and the black cassocks. A frosty film noir in which, just a few years before the collapse of the totalitarian system, the forces of history and the servants of two powers and two belief systems collide. (Berlinale)
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Reviews (3)
A strangely static and visually refined film from first to last frame, which may tempt you to dismiss it as self-indulgent visual onanism, yet its chosen form is a perfectly adequate microcosm composed of static religious icons. Among other things, Servants is an important reminder of silent resistance, in contrast to the usual panicked reminiscences of pre-revolutionary times. Among other things, the chosen form also brilliantly reveals the emptiness of party gestures (the dead meeting) versus silent, humble resistance within its own mantinels. ___ Anyway, for this film we can read one of probably the most stupid reviews in this database (and there are plenty to choose from), which accuses the film of not being "sure what purpose this film actually SERVES today" (like what the fuck?). How worried about your own relevance do you have to be to start waving such a primitive banner? Can someone please let me know "what purpose this person actually serves today?"
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At first glance, Servants captivated me with its compellingly raw audiovisual approach that managed to convincingly create the unpleasant atmosphere of a seminary. Even if the film feels stilted at times, it manages to give a decent approximation of the conditions four decades ago through its black and white cinematography and all the more oppressive images. Probably a one-view film, but well worth it. A weaker four stars!
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The filmmakers managed to perfectly portray the constrained atmosphere of the time, which they achieved mainly thanks to the striking black-and-white stylization, oppressive music and distressing sound. However, the largely depressing Servants ultimately suffers from the fact that the story lacks momentum, a slightly more developed plot and more fleshed-out characters. (65%)
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