Kolya @ Czech Movie 游子/爱在布拉格

GSC held a Czech Republic Film Festival and of course being a movie lover and lover of free stuff, I had to go. As usual, I dragged Chin Yee along and we watched two movies. One of the movies is called Kolya.

最近，GSC上映了多部免费的捷克电影，主要是为了推广捷克这个国家的文化，电影是个很好及直接的方式。
如我所说的，我一直都很希望能够接触更多异国电影，所以这次时间上和朋友间的配合，我终于有机会观赏这部得到奥斯卡金像奖的捷克电影-- 《游子》，又译《爱在布拉格》。

Poster took from Amazon website

I went in knowing nothing about the movie, except that it won an award and what the poster looked like. The poster is different from the Hollywood posters we are used to because it does not look modern, the poster looks like it's from a different time.

The movie is about a man, Louka who was once a concert cellist but is now struggling to make ends meet. He plays cello at funerals and repaints letters of graves to survive. He is also a confirmed old bachelor who is dedicated to chasing skirts. In order to earn some money, he agreed to a sham marriage to a Russian woman to enable her to stay in Czechoslovakia. The woman then uses her new citizenship to emigrate to West Germany, where her boyfriend lives.

The woman left her 5 year old son, Kolya with her aunt. However, the aunt passed away and left Kolya with Louka. Thus, begin the extraordinary story of two individuals forming a bond that would warm your heart. Kolya, a Russian boy and Louka, a citizen of Czech had problems communicating since neither could speak the other's language. Add the tension of the people of Czech and the Russians at the time of the story and you have a story of a bond that surpass nationalities and prejudice. This movie shows that we are all humans regardless of country and language, something the world today sorely needs to remember.

这部电影获得了1996年的奥斯卡最佳外语片，它的获奖也不是没有原因的。简单明了地描述了男主角以及小主角之间的感情，还有就是男主角心情的转变。

男主角是个放荡不羁的音乐演奏家，他的生活很随性很草率，根本就没有想要定下来的念头。突然，朋友介绍了他一个赚钱机会，就是假婚。他也接受了。婚后，那个付他钱的异国妻子就马上跑去另一个国家了，他当然不会介意。不过，她却留下了一个小男孩。
他原本很抗拒小男孩，甚至想要把他送回去他的国家。但日渐相处下，他俩慢慢开始依赖着彼此。

往往最能打动人心的电影，都会是亲情电影。那是在大多人心中最脆弱的感情。
小男孩一点一点改变了男主角的生活，甚至是他坚持已久的想法。这是不简单的，也能够看见原来这个小男孩对他来说，是个多么重要的存在。

电影也稍微描述了各国之间紧张的关系，以及它们的部分历史。这也是电影展的初衷，让我们了解自己国家以外的人事物。

Of course, Louka also had to face imprisonment charges for his suspect marriage and the child may be placed in a Russian children's home. However, all's wells that ends well when Louka did not have to go to prison and Kolya reunites with his mother. Overall, this is a great movie to watch. It's fun and lighthearted. A definite feel good movie that I would recommend.

这部电影值得一看，它的节奏不会太慢，但也不会快得让你跟不上。细细长长的说着故事，让你缓缓体会到事物的转变。