Of Parents and Children

Round and round the glorious city of Prague they go, an aging father and his 40-year-old son, walking and talking, talking and walking. They talk of memories, life, parents, children, biology, medicine, love, and sex — and then they stop for a beer. OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN is a delightful film about the meanderings of life and the healing power of reminiscence. The son is Jan, disappointed with his lack of success with women and still having nightmares about his long-dead mother. The father is Dr. Ivan Cvrcek, a garrulous biologist who insists on giving unwanted advice. They meet once a month for this masculine ritual; and over the course of their perambulation, long-suppressed resentments bubble to the surface. Meanwhile, a young stranger bearing a striking resemblance to Jan turns up in his apartment and begins his own dialogue with Jan's neglected girlfriend. Beautifully acted by the entire cast, the film, based on the prize-winning novel “Of Kids and Parents” by Emil Hakl, focuses on the difficulty of breaking away from one's own past. “What's new?” Jan asks at their next walk. “For God's sake, there hasn't been anything new for more than two billion years!” his father answers. “It's all just variations on the same theme.” (In Czech with English subtitles) – B.B.