Czech literature teacher Josef Tkaloun, who is past retirement age, realises one day that he no longer understands his pupils, and so he quits… dramatically. What he does not predict is that in doing this he will lose his sense of place in society.
Acting
Zdeněk Svěrák's weathered face does more than dialogue ever could.
Writing
Father-son team finds poetry in supermarket employment.
Director
Jan Svěrák
Zdeněk Svěrák
Josef Tkaloun
Daniela Kolářová
Eliška Tkalounová
Tatiana Dyková
Helenka
Jiří Macháček
Robert Landa
Pavel Landovský
Řezáč
Jan Budař
Úlisný
Nela Boudová
Ptáčková
Ondřej Vetchý
Řezáč mladší
Miroslav Táborský
vedoucí Šubrt
Martin Pechlát
Karel
Božidara Turzonovová
Kvadrová
Věra Tichánková
Lamková
Jana Plodková
čárkovaná
Jan Vlasák
Wasserbauer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Svěráks (father Zdeněk writing, son Jan directing) are Czech cinema royalty—this continues their 30-year collaboration that defined post-Communist Czech identity on screen.
The supermarket setting deliberately echoes Western capitalist encroachment; Josef's confusion mirrors Czech society's own identity crisis post-1989.
CZ
