"Up and Down" presents a portrait of a country in transition. Director Jan Hrebejk is commenting on what he is seeing around him in the Czech Republic. After years of Soviet domination, the country has turned into a democracy where the old norms and the new reality clash with one another to produce an uncertain time in the country.
There are basically three stories going on in the film. There is the Horecky family, who is in crisis. Then there is the young couple, unable to have children, and finally, we have the petty criminals intent in getting into all sorts of crime to further their interests.
In a way, the film is a microcosm of a society that is adapting itself to the present reality of a free economy. Unfortunately, things appear to be chaotic as we take a look at the film. The old ideas and the new ones are in direct opposition. The older generation doesn't like what their country is being turned into. They watch in horror how all kinds of foreigners are invading their land, which seem to be a global problem, as illegal aliens want a piece of the capitalist pie.
In a way, Martin, the returning son of Professor Horecky, sees a changed society, but wants no part of what he encounters. Having lived in Australia for over twenty years, he has a different attitude and will not stay to participate in what will happen. At the same time, his coming back opens many wounds he thought were healed by now.
For Frantisch and Miluska, their reality is different. She wants to have children and he can't give them to her. She will do anything in order to get a baby. Miluska even resorts to buy the infant that some smugglers find in their truck. Even in this new society, xenophobia is present in the form of the captain of the football fan club that discovers that the baby is not white.
One has to commend the director for presenting his ideas in such an interesting way. The cast is excellent under Mr. Hrebejk's direction. The only sour note to the total enjoyment of the film is that the print recently shown locally, has a yellowish tint and the subtitles are, for the most part, unreadable, which is a shame. Mr. Hrebejk next offering will be eagerly anticipated.
