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Movie Description
Anna Geislerova gives a tour-de-force performance as the title character in the Czech film BEAUTY IN TROUBLE. Geislerova (THE IDIOT RETURNS, INSANE) stars as the wildly unpredictable Marcela, a young mother of two who decides to leave her husband, Jarda (Roman Luknar), who runs an auto-theft ring and chop shop in order to get by in hard times. Taking their two kids (Adam Misik and Michaela Mrvikova ), Marcela moves in with her mother, Zdena (Jana Brejchova), who is happy to have her, and her stepfather, Richard (a creepy Jiri Schmitzer), who is not so pleased with the sudden invasion and makes life difficult for them, especially the children. When Jarda gets arrested, he is sent to prison while the owner of the car, a wealthy older man named Evzen Benes (a wonderfully cool and calm Josef Abrham), takes an interest in Anna, eventually offering to bring her and her children to his estate in Tuscany. But even as Anna's affection for Evzen grows, she can't completely give up Jarda, whose religion-obsessed mother (Emilia Vasaryova) is stalking Anna and the kids. Inspired by the poem of the same name by Robert Graves, BEAUTY IN TROUBLE is a well-acted emotional drama written by the team of writer Petr Jarchovsky and director Jan Hrbejk, who have made such previous films together as COSY DENS, DIVIDED WE FALL, and UP AND DOWN. The soundtrack features an original score by Ales Brezina as well as songs by Raduza, who performs them onscreen, and Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the stars of ONCE. Jarchovsky and Hrbejk keep the audience guessing throughout, taking unusual and unexpected plot twists led by Geislerova's complex, compelling performance.
Industry Reviews
"A movie of stark contrasts and zigzagging motives, BEAUTY IN TROUBLE moves from the golden serenity of a Tuscan villa to the powdery chaos of a Czech garage without sacrificing thematic confidence or nuanced performances."
New York Times - Jeannette Catsoulis (06/13/2008)
"[D]eeply affecting and darkly amusing....At once sardonic and compassionate, it is a masterwork, an instant classic with a superb ensemble cast..."
Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas (08/01/2008)
"This is a film of uncommon subtlety, fluidity, and specificity of character -- so here's to the good subtitling, too." -- Grade: A-
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (08/08/2008)
"This is the kind of of film that achieves one simple but difficult thing: It pleases you....For two hours you feel you have chosen wisely and not wasted your time, and you smile a lot."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (12/05/2008)
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