'Closely Watched Trains'

Despite the gravity, a very quirky and funny film in the vein of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. He would've had a blast making the scenes involving the sex and suicide.

Especially the scene where Hubicka stamps the woman's ass and legs with the train station's stamp. Milos himself is a pretty quirky playerin the Jeunet definition of quirky players. He's sensitive and quite determined to get laid or die. He can do neither very well.

Then there are the anecdotes about Milos' grandfathers: One of which died while trying to hypnotize the German invaders and was crushed by a tank. Pure Jeunet.

Then again, Jeunet didn't make this film. It's pure Jiri Menzel.

Two things:

1. The change in Milos to an apolitical type, who seemed extremely uninterested in anything but having sex to a guy that gave up his life to help blow up a retreating Nazi train, is extraordinary. For no reason, he seemed to give up everything despite showing no ill will toward the Nazis in the previous 90 minutes.

2. This film is certainly important. More so because it's one of the few Czech films under communism to really push the envelope with the censors. Plus, it's Czech New Wave with a very obvious tip of the cap to the French like Godard and Truffaut. A beautiful film.