The Country Teacher

My brain is getting tired of writing up about these movies. Not because they weren't good, but because I'm tired in general.
So, from the TIFF08 website:

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Bohdan Sláma's exquisite film follows the tender ties that form between a young, gay teacher, a lonely widow and her teenaged son in a small Czech town riddled with homophobia.

When a young natural sciences teacher (Pavel Liška) turns down a prestigious school in Prague to work in the backwaters of a remote Czech village, it seems like an odd choice, but he's looking for the space and quiet that he thinks only the country can afford. Once settled, he meets Marie (Zuzana Bydžovská), a local widow whose husband left her to work their farm and raise an adolescent son (Ladislav Šedivý). They form a firm friendship – one she'd like to take further. What Marie does not realize is that the teacher has actually left Prague to escape both a former lover and the confusion he feels about his own sexuality. It is a reality he is forced to confront, however, when his ex-boyfriend arrives in town, upsetting the tenuous love triangle that has formed between Marie, the teacher and her insolent son.

The Country Teacher is about people who long for love but are too afraid to seek it out or give in to it. It is a simple premise, and the uniqueness of Sláma's treatment – the rural Czech setting, the bucolic mood and the unnerving proposition that his character is a self-hating homosexual – breathe real intrigue and compassion into the story. Sláma does not shy away from uncomfortable facts, and his characters are not the rowdy fellows usually found in Czech cinema. He fills his frames instead with melancholy folk who drown their boredom in bottomless bottles. Liška is one of the Czech Republic's finest working actors and Bydžovská is a renowned theatre performer. Crafted through Sláma's keenly naturalistic eye, The Country Teacher is a poignant and thoughtful work of cinema.

Dimitri Eipides
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This movie was quite well done. The characters were well cast and had good chemistry with each other, the cinematography was nice as well. I guess you can't help it when you're in a beautiful setting.
The director was supposedly supposed to be in attendance. We were told that he was running late and stuck in traffic so we couldn't introduce the film. They didn't want to delay the screening any longer, so they just let the movie run and he would be able to chat with us after the screening. After the film finished, we were told that he "sends his regrets" and never made it to the theatre. I really hope that's the case and that he didn't just afterwards because he was insulted by the man sitting in the front row who was snoring. I mean, I saw four movies that day and was exhausted, but made sure that I didn't fall asleep. I didn't want to be rude afterall. Or if you're that tired, or think that the movie's that bad, leave the theatre for goodness sakes!
This movie seemed to resolve a little bit too quickly. The build up of the tension and conflict was great and each of the issues were examined quite well, but it was almost like they needed to finish up the film so voila, here's the ending.
It was a nice movie though. I would recommend it.
(Sorry for the lacklustre review - I'm tired.)

- picture courtesy of www.tiff08.ca