''Empties'' ( cs, Vratné lahve) is a 2007 film directed by

Jan Svěrák Jan Svěrák () (born 6 February 1965 in Žatec) is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at the FAMU. He and his films have received awards including the Academy Award ...

and written by his father

Zdeněk Svěrák Zdeněk Svěrák (born 28 March 1936) is a Czech actor, humorist, playwright and scriptwriter, and one of the most well-known and popular Czech cultural personalities. Since 1968 he has appeared in 32 films. Career In 1958, he graduated in Czec ...

, who also stars in the film. It was released first in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

in March 2007. The film is a

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

from the same team which made

Kolya ''Kolya'' ( cs, Kolja) is a 1996 Czech drama film about a man whose life is reshaped in an unexpected way. The film was directed by Jan Svěrák and stars his father, Zdeněk Svěrák, who also wrote the script from a story by Pavel Taussig. ''Ko ...

Plot

Josef Tkaloun is an elderly teacher at a high school in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

who cannot control his anger when his pupils misbehave in his poetry class. He quits his job and despite his wife urging him to retire, becomes a cycle courier. After an inevitable accident, he still refuses to stay at home and takes a job in the local

Žižkov Žižkov is a cadastral district of Prague, Czech Republic. Most of Žižkov lies in the municipal and administrative district of Prague 3, except for very small parts which are in Prague 8 and Prague 10. Prior to 1922, Žižkov was an indep ...

supermarket. He works behind a counter, recycling glass beer bottles. There he begins to flirt with the customers and matchmake both for an old friend and for the man he works with. His own flirtations (and sexually charged dreams) almost get him into trouble with his wife, so he resolves to reignite the passion in his marriage by celebrating his wedding anniversary with a hot air balloon ride. The scary balloon ride, ending in crash, revitalizes the relationship.

Cast

as Josef Tkaloun *

Tatiana Vilhelmová Tatiana Dyková, née Vilhelmová (born July 13, 1978 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech film and stage actress. She made her professional debut in ''Indian Summer'' (1995), directed by Saša Gedeon, for which she received her first nomination ...

as Helenka, his daughter *

Daniela Kolářová Daniela Kolářová (born 21 September 1946 in Cheb) is a Czech actress. She has appeared in several Theatre Studio DVA productions. Filmography Film * ''Kawasaki's Rose'' (2009) * '' Vratné lahve'' (2007) ... Eliška * '' Tmavomodrý svě ...

as Eliška Tkalounová * Jiří Macháček as Landa, his friend *

Pavel Landovský Pavel Landovský (11 September 1936 – 10 October 2014), nicknamed Lanďák, was a Czech actor, playwright, and director. He was a prominent dissident under the communist regime of former Czechoslovakia. Biography Landovský was born in Havl ...

as Řezáč

Awards

*Zdeněk Svěrák received a ''Special Jury Mention'' for the screenplay at the 2007 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival *The film received the Audience Award at 2007 Ljubljana International Film Festival *The film received the Gold Dolphin award for Best Film at the Festroia International Film Festival in 2008. *The film received the Gold Prize for Best Film at Damascus International Film Festival in 2008.

Home media

The DVD was released in October 2007. It includes extra scenes, a photo gallery, the storyboard and comics.

References

External links

* {{Festroia Best Film 2007 films 2007 comedy films 2000s Czech-language films Films directed by Jan Svěrák Films about educators Films about old age Films set in Prague Czech comedy films Films with screenplays by Zdeněk Svěrák