Best Wishes!

Colour, 35 mm
Czech Republic, 2006, 93 min
Section: Czech Films 2005-2006

Synopsis

The young Prague taxi-driver Jarda has everything under control and it’s all going his way. He wants to have a proper blow-out on his birthday and it looks like he won’t have any trouble arranging it: his boss has just entrusted him with a new car. But then the young man encounters the distinguished and well-preserved pensioner Jindřich Požár. After getting into a spot of bother with him, Jarda unwittingly promises to take the old man wherever he wants. From that moment on, things go from bad to worse, and Jarda’s birthday turns into a nightmare. But then, he is mostly to blame for everything that happens. An intimate comedy by Martin Kotík resembling a television film, which principally takes place inside a car as it travels around Prague. The film comprises a series of episodes where we witness ordinary and less ordinary problems, and the human characters who get caught up in them. The filmmakers provide an ironic insight into typically Czech contemporary social ills: deception in private and in public, corruption and hypocrisy.

About the director

Martin Kotík (b. 1974, Prague) studied film science at Charles University’s Philosophical Faculty and later production at FAMU (1994–99). During his studies he established the production company Major K International, where he produces his own work, chiefly comedies. Apart from direction and production, he is also involved in the screenplays for his films. He drew public attention with his feature debut Men’s Show (Pánská jízda, 2004), awarded at the Festival for Children and Young People in Ostrov nad Ohří (2004). He also created the TV series No Problem (1997) and The Max Marvel Show (1998), Agatha & Co. (Agáta & spol.,1999), Colleagues (Kolegové, 2000-2002) and the comedy Happy Birthday (Všechno nejlepší!, 2006). For several years he ran the distribution company SPI International Czech Republic.