Intimate Lighting

This wonderfully subtle comedy of provincial life is the debut film of a great director and one of the signature works of the Czech New Wave. Ivan Passer's film concerns the dreams of two musician friends, one of whom, having left their small hometown to become successful, returns to visit the other who stayed behind to become a local music teacher. Focussing on the humour of the ordinary and routine and stunningly shot by Miroslav Ondríček, the film shows true affection and understanding for all its characters to become that very rare thing in comedy a work of great originality and universal acceptance. One of the most important films of the Czech New Wave, and which was ranked among the top ten domestic films of all time, Intimate Lighting is a beautifully observed drama of the everyday. (Second Run)