LONERS
SAMOTARI



Czech Republic, 2000, 104 min, color

Seven young people live through experiences over the course of several days that radically change their future lives. Petr, a DJ at a small Prague radio station, breaks up with Hanka, his girlfriend of two years. A neurotic Doctor named Ondrej wants Hanka for himself and has already been hounding her rather obtrusively for a long time. Ondrej's wife Lenka, however, refuses to admit that the father of her children could possibly betray their neat little life. Vesna, a bartender, becomes involved with the two couples while searching for her father. In contrast to the fate of these lonely young people, the film presents Hanka's settled parents. The filmmakers have chosen tragicomic situations in which to present these loners-in-a-crowd.

"In 1996 we wrote the first version of the screenplay. At that time many of us were "loners", we were trying to examine relationships and ways of living together without marriage. Further versions of the screenplay were developed with David Ondricek, and, from a psychological probe into human relationships, the story moved to a comedy level."