Bitter Coffee

Colour, 35 mm
Czech Republic, 2004, 85 min
Section: Czech Films

Synopsis

Tomislav, a Croat, has arrived in Prague to be with his Finnish girlfriend Maya. The relationship between the easy-going, somewhat lazy actor who doesn’t even attempt to find work but prefers spending time in the pub, and the energetic, self-confident young woman who teaches Finnish at university, has its wild ups and downs, yet still remains fairly sturdy. At least until Maya meets up with her friend of many years, Renata, an actress who is just starting out. The girls decide to go on an excursion to the countryside. They are also joined by Renata’s boyfriend, the self-satisfied novice film director David, who likes to stylise himself as a cynic. The adventure, involving arguments and high emotions which eventually cause stormy and irreversible changes in both couples’ relationships, is also coloured by David’s good-natured, assiduous producer Honza, and the timid bookworm Láďa. A bitter-sweet comedy about young people who aren’t that young anymore to live without responsibilities but who, at the same time, are unwilling to give up their freedom.  

About the director

Börkur Gunnarsson is an Icelandic living and working in Prague. He studied at Prague’s FAMU. Apart from making films, he has also written three books: a poetry collection, a book of short stories and a novel. He has made several shorts and television films. The independent bitter-sweet comedy Bitter Coffee, which was created on a minimal budget using partial improvisation and in which Gunnarsson also shared as a screenwriter, is his feature debut. The majority of scenes in the film were shot concurrently using three digital cameras with five versions emerging in the cutting room; the most compact of these was chosen for the final version.