Search - Something Like Happiness on DVD

A gem not to be missed

MonsieurRichard | 04/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Love-hate relations among three friends (Monika, Dasha and Tonika) who grew up in an impoverished neighborhood. Three smoke stacks from a nuclear plant are omnipresent in the backdrop, perhaps a symbol of the alienation of the three characters and their dire milieu. Dasha, an emotionally unstable nyphomaniac with 2 kids, is in great need of her friends' help, yet resentfully rejecting them. Tonika is a kind-hearted good for nothing whose undiscovered love for Monika becomes the impetus for a change in his life. Monika is the most finacially secured and emotionally the strongest of the three. However she's finding herself distancing from her highly eligible boyfriend who is pursuing a medical profession in the US. A worsening of Dasha's condition draws us into the plot and a web of their family relations. The movie is superbly directed, each character is fully developed and unpretentious. It's a refreshing surprise. I'd highly recomend it to any mature audience (there is a couple of brief sexual situations in the movie)."

Subtly & Relentlessly Powerful

D. Hupp | Woodbridge, VA United States | 05/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The acting is first-rate -- Geislerova, Vilhelmova, and Liska shine. Geislerova's performance is electric -- she makes Dasha so vividly disturbing. Vilhelmova and Liska, on the other hand, project subtle yet powerful caring, compassion and depth. I expect that you will see a lot more of this talented trio in the future.



The combined effect of the emotional web that centers on these 3 gifted performers is enhanced by the rest of the superb ensemble cast and increases the believability of the story-line and the setting. The struggles of everyday life among a group of friends, lovers, and relatives in an economically depressed area is so vivid and life-like that viewers from all walks of life will easily relate to them.



As other reviewers have mentioned, the story and the characters develop gradually but relentlessly. Patience in watching this film will be rewarded -- the emotional undertones will grip you and refuse to let go of you."

Skip this mess!

Rizzo | Denver, CO | 03/15/2010

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Surprisingly, this is a FILM MOVEMENT production which is an organization that brings quality films with good storylines, good directing, and good acting. This movie was terrible. Do yourself a favor and watch something else.



Many times with foreign films, you need to work harder to find out "what's going on", and with this, you need to work twice as hard.



First of all, somewhere in this mess is a story. too many confusing storylines. There were too many characters, many who appear with one look and next time, it's a different look. Are these the same characters, don't know. The names are very confusing also. Once it's Dasha, then she is called Didi. Once it's Monica, then it's Moni.



The gist of the storyline is that somewhere in the midst of dysfunctionalism, depression, and somewhere there is happiness. The Czech (2005) fails to deliver. You cannot connect with any characters, cannot grab hold of a plot, moves slow. Characters remain the same, no one advances or moves the story along.



Take the hour and a half to have a good meal, wine or cup of coffee instead of trying to figure this one out. .....Rizzo

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