Open Your Eyes (Otevři oči)

Production: Jan Syrový

Script/Based on: Rudolf Ráž

Director of Photography: Petr Polák

Score: Václav Zahradník

This psychological drama about a distorted idea of love, directed by the prominent TV director Eva Sadková, stands primarily on the talents of Hana Maciuchová, Radoslav Brzobohatý and Jaroslav Drbohlav. The tension growing in the relationships of this trio is the backbone of a story that can easily hold its own next to western narratives centered around a young woman, whose boundaries are disrupted and even violated by men around her. The imaginative opening sequence, simply but effectively using POV shots and handheld camera to pull the viewer not only into the catalytic tragic event but also into the mind of the protagonist herself, is certainly worthy of attention, as well as the music by Václav Zahradník, who, among other things, also contributed to the second cooperation of Sadková and Maciuchová, a TV adaptation Prey, based on a text by Émile Zola. (bk)