Watched on Channel 4's "Walter Presents" under the name "Actor". Perhaps that's why I am the first English-language review? Or perhaps I am the only English-speaking person to have seen it?
Anyway, if you do manage to find it in the depths of the "Walter Presents" listings - this is a very good drama.
Jan Cina plays a would-be actor with a problematic family history in newly-Soviet Czechosolvakia, who gets intimately involved with some powerful men.
The first two episodes cover these affairs, while the third and final episode is about his attempt to get away.
Aside from being elegantly filmed and performed (both Cina and Jenovefa Bokova are excellent), the storyline is expertly crafted to take you on a journey full of tension, surprise and brutality. It really captures the claustrophobia of living in a country where everyone is watching you, and anyone could betray you.
My only criticism is that some characters who only appear briefly on screen are then referred to several times afterwards, and can be quite important in the development of the story - it can be hard to keep track of who is who. Probably my complete unfamiliarity with Czech (and Russian) makes it a bit harder to identify the minor characters.
This is a show that demands your full attention. And which will reward it.
Anyway, if you do manage to find it in the depths of the "Walter Presents" listings - this is a very good drama.
Jan Cina plays a would-be actor with a problematic family history in newly-Soviet Czechosolvakia, who gets intimately involved with some powerful men.
The first two episodes cover these affairs, while the third and final episode is about his attempt to get away.
Aside from being elegantly filmed and performed (both Cina and Jenovefa Bokova are excellent), the storyline is expertly crafted to take you on a journey full of tension, surprise and brutality. It really captures the claustrophobia of living in a country where everyone is watching you, and anyone could betray you.
My only criticism is that some characters who only appear briefly on screen are then referred to several times afterwards, and can be quite important in the development of the story - it can be hard to keep track of who is who. Probably my complete unfamiliarity with Czech (and Russian) makes it a bit harder to identify the minor characters.
This is a show that demands your full attention. And which will reward it.
