Einzelgänger

I've seen this movie three or four times. It's funny, even if some dialogues aren't written optimally. I love two things in this film: the soundtrack, particularly brilliant song "Lucky Boy", and the figure Jakub (Jiri Machacek) - young man, which has almost destroyed his brain by marihuana. His funny quotes as "I'm on fire! Oh, boys, it's really funny!" are already legendary here in the Czech rep....

Saw it as critic at the 49. Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim Heidelberg.

As every film that I know and Zelenka is involved in it is simply genious.

I love his way of combining different stories and characters.

His *Knoflikari* and the truly magic *Powers* (part of Regina Zieglers *Erotic Tales IV*) are definitely worth being checked out. Go and get it, folks!

somewhat slow in developing the characters, but towards the end, a three-minute clip was incredibly rewarding: a family of two parents agree to being "seen" in the real and in the flesh by a group of 20 japanese tourists while having dinner inside in the privacy of their home. Daughter comes in. Sees the two parents seated, and on the rim of the dining room, twenty voyeours each holding a video camera. An ensuing discussion begins, with the parents disagreeing that the daughter sees a married man. The genius is that the tour operator, present in the room and who is translating in real-time from czech to japanese the dialogues between parent and daughter, is the married man's wife, and she knows the husband is having this affair. Under the strain of translating the dialogue that indirectly involves her, she cannot hold back a few tears. For the japanese, the crescendo of the dialogue is a rare opportunity in entering a private family domain, something that japanese culture would never allow, and they are grateful and express it with a emotional applause at the end. They also apologize en masse by all bowing with the video camera rolling when translator says something about them intruding. A genius short scene.

This movie is gorgeous. It's real and down to heart, but at the same time totally crazy. The characters are easy to fall in love with, because they have so many different minds, but each of us could refer to at least on. In Canada, we don't have many movies from Eastern Europe, and for the few I have seen, Loners is one of the best. It's very funny, and magic. If you want to see something new and refreshing, go see Loners.

I always thought Loners was just a situational comedy about a group of friends whose relationships occasionally intertwine and cause some chaos. But years later, I realized it's actually about something much deeper. And maybe that's exactly why the film still works so well more than 25 years later - it's timeless.

In reality, it's a portrait of a generation trying to deal with the emotional baggage left by their parents - trying to process their upbringing, trauma, and the absence of clear direction.

Vesna hasn't seen her father in years, even though he lives somewhere in the Czech Republic. She clings to UFO fantasies, unable to find any real grounding in life. Hanka is trying to have a normal relationship and escape the influence of her parents, but without realizing it, she behaves exactly like her mother.

Petr isolates himself from the world in a radio studio, building a bubble no one else can enter. Jakub turns to weed and drugs to avoid facing life, but in doing so, destroys any real human connection he could have.

Then there are characters who've chosen to become drug dealers or sex workers - not necessarily because they want to, but because they don't see any better options in the chaos around them.

And then there's Ondrej - seemingly the only one who has it all: a wife, twins, a stable life. But even he wants to run away. From his family, from responsibility - maybe even from himself. It's a reminder that even the most "normal" life can feel suffocating.

Loners isn't just about relationships between people - it's about the relationship each of us has with ourselves, and how hard it can be to break free from what we've inherited from our families. The film is ironic, melancholic, often funny - but above all, it's honest. And that's why it hasn't aged a bit. It's also timeless thanks to the iconic soundtrack by Jan P. Muchow, which perfectly captures the mood and emotional depth of the story.