Domestik
Inhalte(1)
Top cyclist Roman has had enough of serving as a domestique, a bicycle racer who sacrifices for the team. And since strenuous training and a strict regimen don’t lead to the type of performance he longs for, he sets up an oxygen tent at home. His obsession with having a sports career, however, renders him oblivious to his wife Šarlota’s desire to have a baby. A claustrophobic drama on the utter breakdown of a marriage almost suffocated by a machine that oxygenates the blood. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(mehr)Kritiken (6)
Es ist schön zu sehen, dass sich die tschechische Filmwelt einmal wieder ein Stück weiterentwickelt und sich etwas traut, Tabus zu brechen. Mir haben die durchdachten Cuts und die kleinen Details, welche die Geschichte unterstreichen, gefallen (wie die schwindenden Charaktere, welkende Blumen in ihrer Wohnung, verrottendes Obst in der Schüssel). Leider ist das Ganze wirklich sehr ereignisarm und zu lang. Die Charaktere sind am Ende genauso wie am Anfang formlose Karikaturen. Was soll den Zuschauer dazu bringen, sich für ihre Geschichte zu interessieren? Ich muss zugeben, dass ich zwischendurch mit meinen Gedanken ganz woanders war. Objektiv betrachtet schätze ich diesen Film ein wenig - es ist wieder etwas, das in unserer Filmwelt fehlt, aber leider hat es mich überhaupt nicht mitgerissen.
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Adam Sedlák rollt die tschechische Kinematografie mit einem präzise gedrehten Film auf europäischem Niveau auf. Das perfekt abgestufte Drama/Thriller/Horror besticht durch eine klare künstlerische Vision sowie ein originelles und durchdachtes Konzept und überzeugt auch mit einer hervorragenden musikalischen Komponente, die den Film zu einer noch dynamischeren Fahrt macht als die festgehaltene Regie, starke schauspielerische Leistungen und ein langsames Erzähltempo, das quälend intensiv ist wie eine ganztägige Fahrt mit dem Fahrrad nach einer Nacht im Sauerstoffzelt. Schade, dass es nicht weitergegangen ist, und noch härter.
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Judging from the responses to Domestique, it is the most polarising film of this year’s edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, or rather a film that will surprise due to its unanimous rejection in certain circles. However, if we don’t approach it literally as a story of a single relationship and two particular people, it can come across as a conceptual cinematic expression of self-centredness. The screenplay piles up clues that help to build a baffling narrative and attract the viewers’ gaze to the main male character, while at the same time suggesting through various clues that, outside of the confines of his shell, the world looks different than it seems at first glance. As in the Czech series Semestr, director Adam Sedlák shows that for a man his age, he has surprising insight into social phenomena that, according to ageist prejudices, should not concern him. After the artificiality of the relationships of young people, this time he touches on the career zenith of people in their thirties and the associated personal crises and the subtle slumps ensuing from insufficient (self-)reflection.
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When artificial insemination and an electric motor hidden in the frame aren't the solution. A deficit in training, self-esteem, morality, motherhood, and relationships is tackled through a struggle with one's own body. Static shots full of sterility and physicality, music at times reminiscent of the insides of an alien ship, or perhaps its landing, a friendly yet eerie Miroslav Hanuš as Dr. Ferrari from the boiler room, and as the end approaches, a body horror where the characters step into telepods like Goldblum once did in Cronenberg's The Fly and mix their DNA... with what exactly? It's a pity about the form and often the content of the dialogues, which gave it more of the feel of a simulator than a sharp ride on scorching asphalt.
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For Czech cinema, this is undoubtedly the event of the year. Domestik stands out in many ways, almost unprecedented in the Czech film landscape. If I were to compare it to something, it would be the Greek Weird Wave, especially in terms of cinematography, unsettling atmosphere, and storytelling style. There are echoes of Polanski’s Repulsion, Aronofsky’s Black Swan, and even some of David Cronenberg’s works. Adam Sedlák crafts a nearly two-hour psychological game about two characters who gradually succumb to their obsessions, descending into the dark depths of human existence. This minimalist piece is set 98% in interiors – it could aptly be called a “psychological apartment body horror.” Domestik is extremely physical, disturbing, and mentally demanding, leading viewers into the dark recesses of the human mind and body. Has Adam Sedlák kick-started a Czech Weird Wave with Domestik? Time will tell... but I'd welcome it. And if it doesn’t happen, I’m still looking forward to his next film because he’s undoubtedly one of the most talented Czech filmmakers right now. An incredible debut that I highly value. While I wish the film great success, I suspect it might not get a lot of positive reactions from the general audience – but I’d love to be proven wrong.
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It took me a really long time to get into this movie. It didn't quite meet my initial expectations, but I have to admit that it is a pretty solid psycho movie, which manages to impress especially with its originality, rawness and absolutely top-notch sound. However, the film suffers a bit from being overlong. There are really too many dead spots to be overlooked. However, Adam Sedlak is certainly one of the young talents we should cherish. There are not so many of them in our country. (65%)
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