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Champions

Champions

  • Overview
  • Cast
  • Crew
  • Recommendations

Status

Released

Release Date

Apr 1, 2004

Runtime

1h 23m

Genres

Drama

User Score

57%

Original Title

Mistři

Production Companies

Negativ, Česká televize, Barrandov Studio

Director

Marek Najbrt

Description

Ice hockey is a Czech national obsession, and the country's victory over Russia in the 1969 World Championships, the year following the Soviet invasion, is a celebrated moment in its history. In Marek Najbrt's black comedy, the heroic exploits take place only on a black and white tv screen as a group of representative misfits gather and watch the game in a desolate village on the Czech border. While consisting of recognisable types, Najbrt's bleak portrait reveals a world of alcoholism, debt, racism, bigotry, and infidelity that trails behind the dreams of nationalism and bears little resemblance to the fantasies of the new consumerism. A clever and multi-levelled film, it provides a sharp antidote to the reconciliatory charms of the conventional Czech comedy.