An outstanding sports documentary or a comedy set in a convent for fallen women. These were the most watched films on KVIFF.TV in October

The list of most-watched films on KVIFF.TV in October was influenced by the Pedro Almodóvar retrospective begun in September and by the presence of Wim Wenders’s “Zen” masterpiece Perfect Days. But the top spot went to Martin Vrbický’s recently added sports documentary The One Who Celebrates Every Day, which holds a respectable 90% rating on ČSFD.

This month, The One Who Celebrates Every Day swept audiences off their feet with stunning stunts and brisk editing, all of it rounded out by a catchy soundtrack. Though told through the eyes of one of the most prominent figures on the Czech Republic’s extreme sports scene, Michal Maroši, this feature-length documentary features an entire generation of individuals who have dedicated their lives to mountain biking and other extreme sports. Appearing before the camera are legends such as Tomáš Slavík, Michal Prokop, and Eva Adamczyková, plus Canada’s Richie Schley and Brett Tippie.

Holding in second place is Perfect Days, director Wim Wenders’s triumphant return in the form of a poetic film about finding beauty in seemingly small things. Hirayama works as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, contentedly following his carefully constructed routine and spending his free time reading books, listening to old rock tapes, or taking pictures with his analog camera. This harmonious life is upset by a series of unexpected encounters that gradually reveal fragments of his past life. The film’s star Kōji Yakusho was named Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. Perfect Days was also shown at KVIFF 57 .

The Irish hip-hop comedy Kneecap took this year’s Sundance Film Festival by storm, returning home with the Audience Award. It almost managed the same at this year’s KVIFF, where this wild film filled with all kinds of vices was long the audience favorite. Kneecap was personally introduced by director Rich Peppiatt in the festival’s Horizons section. Unfortunately, it was not picked up for Czech distribution, and so KVIFF.TV is one of just a few online platforms where you can see this wild ride. It is definitely worth a watch, and it looks like Kneecap will remain among the top five films on KVIFF.TV for some time to come.

In fourth place this month is a classic Spanish drama that celebrates femininity and the life energy that comes with it. Penelope Cruz and Carmen Mauro shine as sisters in Volver. “Volver” means “to return,” and in this film director Pedro Almodóvar returns to the region of his childhood, La Mancha, to pay tribute to the courage, steadfastness, and determination that characterize the film’s female characters, all of whom live similarly dramatic lives. Volver is being shown as part of KVIFF.TV’s retrospective commemorating its director’s 75th birthday. It should thus be no surprise that the KVIFF top five are rounded out by another of his films, the satirical comedy Dark Habits, in which a bar singer suspected of murdering her lover hides from the police in a convent for fallen women, whose residents are an unusual mix of the bizarre and the extravagant. Almodóvar depicts an alternative world in which otherness and craziness are not the least bit outrageous. On the contrary: in this strange community, everyone can find refuge, understanding, and the strength to start a new life.