Bear with Us

A minimalist film with a sympathetic nature, set in two and a half environments and watching the humorously true skirmishes of an amusing family, in whose company everyone will surely remember their own family (the grandmother played by Jana Synková is the most exciting). Situations learned from life are complemented by an almost mystical and symbolic conclusion and the great casting pull the film to where dialogues are not enough and humor and plot are a bit bogged down – some of the motifs are not comprehensively resolved (for example, the son's relationship with his Slovak girlfriend) and not all of the characters are given the same care (e.g., the father and grandfather almost do not get the chance to express themselves and the character of the daughter of the German friend probably exists only so that there is someone to explain to what the phenomenon of Czech weekend cottages is). Otherwise, it's pleasant, non-binding entertainment. (06/07/2018)

A gentle cottage ballad that alternates moments of sharp observation and strenuous deadpan comedy clichés. The points are sometimes lost, but Aleš Březina's music is so playful and enticingly instructive, that when Kačer sits down, one realizes that Bear with Us can touch upon the sentiment of the family and cottage life and the tragicomic aspects of mundaneness. Solidly acted, nicely filmed and simply pleasant - like roasting a marshmallow and eating a few skittles. I’ll take it. (26/07/2018)

Bear with Us is an intimately conceived drama that deals mainly with interpersonal relationships, both family and partner. The problems of the family members come to the surface and they deal with them in different ways. Paradoxically, the most rational character was the senile and absent-minded grandfather, brilliantly portrayed by Jan Kačer. I was also impressed by the characters of Michael Pitthan and Jana Synková, who were fortunately not as annoying as Tereza Voříšková, Judit Bárdos and Jan Strejcovský. It's a bit of a shame that the film didn't go deeper, but rather glided gently beneath the surface. In the end, this is a minimalist attempt at family drama that works at times, but rather flounders at others. (13/01/2019)

Bear with Us is exactly the kind of film that critics would ideally imagine a Czech film to be. It is a tangible reminder of the 60s, and Jan Kačer even plays a symbolic role. The topic is about typical Czech wallowing in smallness and praising the phenomenon of the cottage industry. We don't know what we want, but we know exactly what we don't want. The individual episodes will surely soon go down in the golden fund. Synková's snide remarks, the now very popular Kopta jokes... the talents of people like Chýlková, Vávra or Bárdos are wasted here. The story flows, cycles, falls apart and finds itself again. It’s the ideal material for tracking during your own trip outdoors. (26/07/2019)

The result was definitely better than I expected. This is not to say it was amazing, just not the standard pathetic Czech comedy I was mentally preparing myself for. It was even entertaining at times. David Vávra was perfectly matter of fact, and Jana Synková was excellent at nagging. Shame about a couple of dull moments and the slightly wasted potential of the premise. I think the film could do with a greater dose of humor. (07/01/2019)