Regie:
Rudolf HavlíkDrehbuch:
Rudolf HavlíkKamera:
Václav TlapákBesetzung:
Ondřej Vetchý, Aňa Geislerová, Ema Švábenská, Vilma Cibulková, Anna Polívková, Oldřich Vlach, Jiří Dvořák, Marek Taclík, Jana Bernášková (mehr)Inhalte(1)
The main protagonist of the film Petr Miller left home to work in England eight years ago. It was after he had misunderstanding with his father and once and for all he severed all the ties with him. He was glad he found his place in England and he was not about to ever come back home to Prague. He has no family. He works as a lawyer who helps Britons in immigration matters and in the detection of fake marriages realized in order to obtain British citizenship.
He has a phone call from Prague one month before Christmas. A social worker informs him that he was identified as a father of a child whose mother had a serious car accident. Peter refuses such a nonsense, but his conscience will not let him be. He gets himself on the plane to Prague to find how things actually are. The woman who identified Peter as a father of her child and with whom he had a summer romance still remains in the critical condition. Peter must decide whether he takes care of the child or entrusts the child to the Institute of Social Welfare. Finally, he decided to try it until mother of the child gets better and it will be possible to clarify the paternity situation.
Peter meets eight years old Ema for the first time. They accommodate themselves in the hotel and Peter has faith that the situation is going to be resolved soon. First time in his life he faces the parents´ concerns and also he struggles with the thought whether Ema is or is not his child. He has yet not considered the test of DNA, he does not want to do rash decisions. In the hotel he meets up with the hotel manager Maria who from time to time helps Peter to take care for Ema. Peter and Ema are getting close although he is not sure she is his daughter. Her mother dies in the hospital and the social worker demands the girl to be included in the welfare program. Under the pressure of events and circumstances Peter decides to fight for Ema. The condition of getting her into his care is a marriage. That is why he comes up with a plan of fake wedding to which he and Ema could persuade the hotel manager Maria.
Peter finds himself in a situation with what he usually must cope in his work in England. Their effort to win Ema to their care brings them together and they experience many humorous and touching situations. Peter has to make contact with his family, with brother whom he did not see for eight years, and especially with father to whom he cannot forgive the things that happened in the past. By meeting they are trying to find the way to each other. Peter is also looking for the alibi for social workers´ questioning about his new future wife Maria. She becomes attractive to him. They gradually fall in love with each other, but they still are trying to keep their relationship under its initial agreement. All the interviews go well and they overcome all the pitfalls. Everything seems to be well on the way, until the moment when they are taken by surprise of a mistake what they did during the preparation of their fake marriage. The mistake which thwarts all of their plans... (Falcon)
(mehr)Kritiken (5)
Sure, there are many things here that would deserve to be criticized. For instance, time flows in a weird way and it seems to follow its own rules. But I have to say that Fairy Tales for Ema is such a pleasant and positive film that you will have no problem forgiving it some of its unclear and illogical points. Ondřej Vetchý portrays a pretty serious character, but you won’t be able to find it believable because you will remember his latest comedy roles, so you will wish him luck from the very start. Nevertheless, Aňa Geislerová fits right in with her insecurity and they make for a very pleasant, yet untypical couple for a romantic genre that we aren’t really familiar with in this country. As I said, there are many things that we could criticize, but if you forget about those, what you will get is a truly human film with a very nice score, good cinematography and little Ema, whom you will wish only all the best.
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Voilà, another treasure among Czech films has arrived. It came unexpectedly, without much advertising, but with an excellent and touching story and a trio of actors who certainly don't mess it up. Aňa, Ondřej, and Ema in a film that moves you... and more than just casually. The Fairy Tales for Ema were just right. Watch it, you'll be surprised. For real.
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Rudolf Havlík already made himself known in a very positive way in All My Tomorrows. In Fairy Tales for Emma, he continues with a successful Christmas romcom that builds on the most popular actors - Geislerová and Vetchý - and it is not only a lovely film but also a tasteful film about Prague. I am looking forward to Havlík's next work and I am glad that the Czechs can work with even the most banal genres. The times are getting better.
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The film definitely had its flaws, which is why I didn't give it five stars, but they were clearly outweighed by the positives. I don't consider this film to be a comedy, I didn't get to laugh much, but I had a smile on my face the whole time which doesn't happen too often. The cast was excellent, and the plot made sense. It’s true that in real life the ending would have been a lot different, much to the bureaucrats’ joy. But that's not the point, it was a Christmas story, so it was obvious how it would end. I enjoyed the film, and it made me feel good. If that's the outcome the filmmakers were going for, congrats, it was a success.
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I don't give a damn that in reality something like this probably couldn't happen. Sometimes there are moments when I long to escape the reality of everyday life, and The Fairy Tales for Ema allowed me to dream, at least for a moment, about how beautiful the world would be if we paid more attention to each other and gave more space to our feelings. I was absolutely enchanted by the sweet story that Ondřej Vetchý, Anya Geislerová, and Ema Švábenská managed to bring to life in such a wonderful way. (90%)
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