The New Breed

Colour, 35 mm
Czech Republic, 2005, 133 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Czech Films 2004-2005
Oficiální stránky: www.sametovivrazi.cz

Synopsis

Jiří Svoboda’s crime thriller was loosely based on the most horrific case in modern Czech criminal history — the socalled Orlík murders of the early 1990s. Spurred on by a desire for money and a higher standard of living, a member of an elite police unit quits his job to become a bouncer, bodyguard and would-be hitman. The main storyline relates the motivations behind his and his cohorts’ brutal actions, their private lives, and close ties with the social infrastructure. The subplot involves the police investigation. The case shocked the public for its atrocity and cynical dimension: these cold-blooded killers ‘buried’ their victims in steel drums at the bottom of Orlík reservoir (south of Prague). But it also raised questions of basic morality. The director on the events that inspired the movie: “They are fascinating and riveting not only for the level of evil (or, more precisely, for the complete absence of anything whatsoever to do with good and the awareness of values) but also for the extent of the banality — it engenders an element of fanciful grotesque.”

About the director

Jiří Svoboda (b. 1945, Kladno, near Prague) graduated in direction from Prague’s Film Academy (FAMU) in 1971. Since that time he has worked as a screenwriter for Barrandov Film Studios and, as of 1974, as a director. He is interested in psychological stories, and his work is characterized by an ability to build a powerful drama and by the effective use of cinematic means of expression. He debuted in features with the segment “Hostage” from the crime triptych A Motive for Murder (1974). His independent debut came with A Mirror for Kristýna (1975). Selected filmography: Girl with a Shell (1980), The Chain (1981), Encounter with the Shadows (1982), End of the Lonely Farm Berghof (1983), Scalpel, Please (1985), Papilio (1986), The World Knows Nothing (1987), The Damned House of Hajn (1988), About Family Affairs Only (1990) and The New Breed (2005). He has made several documentaries and more than 30 TV productions and TV movies. He teaches at FAMU.