Lost in Munich

Spectacular! The best Czech movie in recent years. An excellent comedy(?) extending beyond the limits of the genre, unparalleled in contemporary Czech cinema. After a weird trailer, I decided to give it a miss at the cinema, but I regret it all the more now, because I enjoyed literally every minute of it. A clear five stars and a completely new perspective concerning the events of 1938 for me. I recommend not reading up on the movie in advance. All the surprising twists only intensified my experience. (21/03/2016)

I have a mix of emotions regarding Petr Zelenka's distinctive films. Some of them have impressed me, while others have left me with an average impression. However, I have no problem admitting that Zelenka is one of the most interesting filmmakers that the lackluster Czech film scene currently possesses. I have never associated his name with any significant disappointment. Actually, I cannot speak of disappointment even now. Based on paradoxically enthusiastic responses, I didn't believe in the film, and my instinct did not let me down. Zelenka served me two films in one, but I don't get either of them and I conclude that they don't harmonize together at all. Although the author is inspired by the ideas of historian Jan Tesař, he interprets them in his own way. This time, Zelenka's mystification didn't entertain me; I felt a similar self-centeredness in it as I have perceived in the surrealistic performances of a certain Prague theater in the last two decades. Those people are also content with entertaining themselves and their fan club. Overall impression: 35%. (18/07/2017)

It’s truly incredible how Zelenka manages to adapt diverse narrative formulas in favour of a unified idea and an irresistibly satirical characterization of the unchanging Czech mood. The "film-within-a-film" technique allows him to poetically outline the intended plot motifs, which he then humorously develops in a frank, semi-documentary spirit in the fictional process of filming. What's amazing is the ease with which the fictional world mirrors the real one, with all the political, ethical, financial or deliberately absurd problems in the cycle of filmmaking, this time juxtaposed with smart historical satire and more or less obvious winks at the nature of Czechness. Fine actors, brilliant cinematography, great direction. Day for Night for Czech filmmakers. 85% (17/05/2016)

Petr Zelenka is very specific and a very good author. This isn't just playing with history; this is playing with film, playing with the audience who isn't sure what they're actually watching. And you won't experience this twist just once, but rather several times. Despite the form, the idea here doesn't get lost, which is very intriguing and one that I could easily believe in. And all of this with a peculiar sense of humor. (10/02/2017)

In the first half hour, Zelenka gets this not-very-successful bitter comedy about a media bubble around a talking parrot going, in order to later have the upper hand against the audience by implying that the films lack quality had been intentional the entire time, and for good reason. Lost in Munich is a perfectly balanced (very funny and at the same time sad and painfully true) parable about backstage of film productions, about the Czech nation, and about the fact that appearances sometimes deceive, of course with a certain amount of exaggeration. The film is directed with a firm hand and is a thoughtful and conscious project with natural actors, the ambitiously and intelligently-grasped theme of the Munich Agreement, and with a functional story full of surprising twists. In terms of Czech films, this story is also told in a rather unusual and attractive way. (17/10/2015)