The European premiere of the Slovak film Promise, I'll Be Fine, which first screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival, was accompanied in Karlovy Vary by a large delegation, including the film’s teenage leads. Fittingly, the first question of the post-screening discussion went to them: Was filming more work or fun? “Fun,” they all replied in unison, drawing laughter with their blunt delivery. “When the boys didn’t want to shoot, I had to yell at them,” joked director Katarína Gramatová, while producer Igor Engler added: “We were filming in September, so all we had to do was remind them that school was just around the corner – and suddenly, they started acting like they were in a major Hollywood drama.”
Gramatová stumbled upon the film’s subject – which touches on the fragility of youth and trust in adults – by chance during a visit to the village of Utekáč, where the story takes place. She noticed a group of boys playing football and instantly felt compelled to make a film with them. She became friends with them, and although the boys did not initially believe that they would star in a film, the crew devoted half a year of intensive work and preparation to them, bribing them with pizza and Kofola. To ease the boys into filmmaking, Gramatová first shot the documentary A Good Mind Grows in Thorny Places with them (which screened at last year’s KVIFF). By the time they moved on to the feature, the whole village had come alive. “One of the grandmas baked cookies for the crew, people lent us places to sleep and even offered props,” recalled producer Julie Marková Žáčková.
“We also met a local fortune teller who reassured us that everything would turn out well,” laughed Gramatová, who is primarily an editor. “I didn’t want to edit this film myself, so I approached Aleš Valtr, who is also a director. I needed more than just an editor. We sat side by side, gave each other feedback, and shared the work with complete flexibility. We have similar taste, and it worked out beautifully.”
