WAVES:
Country: Czech Republic
Director & Writer: Jirí Mádl
Genre: Political Thriller
Languages: Czech, Slovak, French,
Russian, Italian, and others
Subtitles: English
Running time: 130 Minutes
Director/writer Jirí Mádl’s Waves, the Czech Republic’s submission for Best International Film, has already won 17 awards at festivals, including Newcomer of the Year at the Czech Film Critics’ Awards. It is a brilliant, edge-of-your-seat political thriller shot almost entirely in secret and financed by multiple companies including France and Germany.
This beautifully shot powerful film with the same spine-tingling tensions as in “Argo,” will keep you on the edge of your seat. From the opening shot to the very last frame with Martin Žiaran’s camera skillfully hones in on the ever-changing trajectory of this haunting film. Based on a true story, the film centers around the final days of free broadcasting in Czechoslovakia. It is the story of how a handful of courageous reporters at the International News Office of Czechoslovak Radio used every means possible to stay on the air as long as feasible during the 1968 Prague Spring. The Prague Spring saw 250,000 troops from some of the Warsaw Pact countries, including the Soviet Union, invade Czechoslovakia to quell civilian protests against the regime.
Mádl assembled a sterling cast of actors each of whom gives a stunning performance. While the roles of the reporters are based on actual reporters, the character of Tomáš Havlík, nicely played by Vojtěch Vodochodský, is a fictional character who in the beginning is apolitical. His only concern is for his brother who wants to take an employment exam but Tomáš wants him to study at the university. He shows up at the site to try to stop him, but in short order takes the test himself and while his brother fails, Tomáš excels, resulting in being hired as a technician by the radio station.
His character has a visible arc from being apolitical to becoming a pivotal figure in keeping the airwaves open until the station is destroyed by the invading troops, leaving these heroes to flee for their lives. Other leading cast members, each of whom delivers a finely honed characterization, include the fascinating Martin Hofmann as the editor Luboš Dobrovský, and reporters Vojtech Kotek (Jirí Dienstbier,) Jan Petránek (Petr Lnenicka,) and Milan Weiner (Stanislav Majer). Given the precarious state of U.S. politics, one hopes this is not a preview of what lies ahead for us.
