How often do you get to see two actual cow births in a film? The scenes of farm life in the Czech Republic are a wonderful opportunity to visit another world and escape our own mundane concerns. The entire film is gorgeous to watch and provides terrific escapism in so many ways.
A young man leaves Prague to go teach in the country. The audience wonders why he has made this move. As he settles in to his new living quarters, which is a small bit of a room in an old woman's house, with only a sheet hung up for privacy, we wonder how long anyone could possibly live like this. Then we meet the varied characters of the village, and we are impressed by the respect and kindness the country teacher has for the villagers. He seems to sincerely care for them.
Then an old lover of his comes to visit. He proves to be a highly disruptive force, and things begin to go wrong in the country teacher's life. Will the troubles unleashed by the unwanted ex-lover's visit cause all of the country teacher's good work to unravel? Will the country teacher have the self-control to keep himself out of trouble? Does he really care for the villagers? Will this story have a sad or happy ending? I won't tell you. But few people would predict the ending of this film correctly, which makes it all the more interesting.
The actors in this film are sublime. Especially the 3 main characters. "The Country Teacher" will stay in your thoughts long after you leave the theatre.
A young man leaves Prague to go teach in the country. The audience wonders why he has made this move. As he settles in to his new living quarters, which is a small bit of a room in an old woman's house, with only a sheet hung up for privacy, we wonder how long anyone could possibly live like this. Then we meet the varied characters of the village, and we are impressed by the respect and kindness the country teacher has for the villagers. He seems to sincerely care for them.
Then an old lover of his comes to visit. He proves to be a highly disruptive force, and things begin to go wrong in the country teacher's life. Will the troubles unleashed by the unwanted ex-lover's visit cause all of the country teacher's good work to unravel? Will the country teacher have the self-control to keep himself out of trouble? Does he really care for the villagers? Will this story have a sad or happy ending? I won't tell you. But few people would predict the ending of this film correctly, which makes it all the more interesting.
The actors in this film are sublime. Especially the 3 main characters. "The Country Teacher" will stay in your thoughts long after you leave the theatre.