Archive of films Bitter Coffee / Silný kafe

Czech Republic
2004, 85 min

Section: Czech Films 2003-2004
Year: 2004

The Croat Tomislav and the Finnish girl Maya, the actress Renata and novice director David make up two couples whose relationships get jumbled up during a would-be idyllic excursion to the country. 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.

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.

Contacts

Bionaut
Dělnická 47, 170 00, Praha 7
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 777 035 401
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.bionaut.cz

SPI International Czech Republic
Branicka 1950/209, 140 00, Praha 4
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 261 216 318
Fax: +420 261 221 375
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.spi-film.cz

About the film

Color, 35 mm
International premiere

Section:	Czech Films 2003-2004

Director:	Borkur Gunnarsson
Screenplay:	Borkur Gunnarsson
Dir. of Photography:	Tony Gřešek
Editor:	Zdeněk Marek
Producer:	Vratislav Šlajer
Production:	Bionaut, koprodukce / co-production: SPI International Czech Republic
Cast:	Martin Hofmann, Markéta Coufalová, Kaisa Elramly, Žán Loose, Jiří Plojhar, Ladislav Hampl, Jiří Lábus, Hana Maciuchová
Contact:	Bionaut, SPI International Czech Republic