âThe fact that Iâm playing myself doesnât mean that itâs me.â Four old schoolmates, today well-known Czech actors (Pavel LiĹĄka, TomĂĄĹĄ Matonoha, Josef PolĂĄĹĄek and Marek Daniel), decide to make a movie together. Their ambitious colleague Jan BudaĹ takes up directing duties and financing has arrived from Poland. What started out pleasantly enough, however, soon goes awry. LiĹĄkaâs pronunciation difficulties, Danielâs alter ego HavlĂĄt, and Matonohaâs financial machinations turn the shoot into a fight for survival. More than just a film about friendship and the absurdity of actorsâ lives, director Marek Najbrt gives us a witty meditation on reality and illusion, and a unique take on the reality film genre. One of Pavel LiĹĄkaâs on-set comments (âI didnât know if I should act as if I were acting, or act as if I werenât acting, or just not act at allâ) illustrates the provocative nature of Najbrtâs subversive, quasi-documentary game.
