Movie Details
Movie: Invalid (2023)
Director: Jonáš Karásek
Cast: Gregor HoloskaZdenek GodlaHelena Krajciová
Genre: Comedy
Release date: 09 February 2023
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Languages: Slovak and Romanian.
Duration: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
Trailer
Synopsis
If you look at the ČSFD profile of this Slovak news, you will certainly be surprised by the unusually high rating of far more than 80 percent. Did the Eastern brothers manage to make the comedy hit that we can only dream about? With certain caveats, Invalida can indeed be considered a phenomenon that we can look at slightly enviously.
So far, Jonáš Karásek has mainly shot the controversially received films The Candidate and Amnesty. They could not be denied the effort to mix genres and a politically engaged overlap, but in both cases, the realization ended only halfway. The current Invalid also offers a specific period reflection, although in this case the effort to dig into the political set gave way to straightforward humor and conveying the message rather between the lines. And it is definitely to the benefit of the cause, even if the character of the populist candidate for mayor, who presents himself as the opposite of traditional politicians and promises to solve Roma issues, clearly shows that the creators have not resigned themselves to social overlaps.
Invalid: We find ourselves in a small Slovak town sometime in the 90s. The era is revealed by whistle sets, ancient mobile phones, and giant cassette players, but also by the confusion of the majority of the population from the new conditions. Among them is the choleric maintenance worker Laco. He likes his quiet work at the local museum and drinking Average beer. Everything changes when, in a fit of rage, he throws his son’s notebook out the window, which is the last straw for his long-neglected wife. To bring the estranged family back together, he calls out ads for new radio stations. However, one of them turns out to be a fraud and Laco ends up paralyzed from the waist down by a coincidence of bizarre circumstances. However, his angry temper will not be calmed by any chance.
Gregor Hološka, best known for his supporting role in the aforementioned Amnesty, steals most of the scenes with his lively performance. On the other hand, the rather muted Zdeněk Godla complements him well in the role of Lac’s friend Gab. Gabo and his family help Lac to restore order and to justly punish the mobsters who destroyed his health.
In addition to Karásek, screenwriter Tomáš Dušička, who was based on several true stories, is signed under the result. After the film, he declared that he wanted to create a purely 90s hero, through whom, at least in theory, the many wrongs that took place at that time could be rectified. The story of an ordinary person who takes justice into his own hands is of course morally questionable, as the domestic Terrorist showed; however, the current film has a comedic and exaggerated tone closer to Ubal a Zamje or Guy Ritchie’s socially tuned action comedies.
The creators’ effort was not to continue the Slovak tradition of difficult social dramas, which is also reflected in the machine-gun cadence of the sometimes even Tarantino dialogues and the wild music reminiscent of Emir Kusturica’s films. In addition, Lac’s constant barrage of coarse-grained swear words will surely please fans of the phenomenal “video” Lacatoše Repair. The rappers Vec, Majk Spirit, and Rytmus will also appear in smaller roles, except for the latter’s exquisitely bizarre beatboxing joke, but their participation is primarily an attraction for the posters.
Most of the narration takes place in flashbacks, and the non-linear structure with a partially unreliable (or at least rather sketchy) narrator Gaba underlines the playfulness of the entire work. The brisk editing helps the many situational and verbal jokes, but you can’t get rid of the impression that the 108-minute footage deserves to be shortened. The narrative sometimes falls off the chain and the final denouement is not only not credible, but also sufficiently motivated by the previous plot. However, these shortcomings are easily forgiven, as the strengths are the majority after all – including a superior craftsmanship side that certainly does not feel underfunded, which is a minor miracle.
Play the trailerThe biggest problem for domestic viewers can be working with racial stereotypes. Promotional materials promise Zdenek Godla in a Nazi uniform, which turns out not to be as controversial as it seems; nevertheless, it cannot be said that the creators avoided using stereotypes about the Roma minority or Caucasian outcasts from the fringes of society. However, humor is not about kicking the weak, on the contrary, characters from the periphery often behave better than prominent members of society. However, it may not suit everyone. Compared to Czech attempts to create an absurd crazy comedy such as Three Tigers in the film: JACKPOT, Wilsonov or Případ mrtých nežítík, however, Invalida still clearly has the upper hand.
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