Winter Flies (Olmo Omerzu, 2018): Czech Republic | Slovenia | Poland | Slovakia | France

Reviewed by Helios Miller. Viewed at the 2019 Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Two adolescents coming of age, slide through Czech Republic in a stolen car with wit, bravery, and luck. From bumping the beastie boys to jumping into a freezing lake to save a drowning dog, Winter Flies has a warm heart beating with character.

We start with what will be the end of their journey, the driver, being interrogated by a cop, refusing to rat out his passenger. Riding in second seat, a stocky boy in a ghillie suit with an airsoft gun strapped around his shoulder. We retrace their journey across the entire length of the country, left itching to find out what will come next.

What really made this film were our two leads, Tomás Mrvík and Jan František Uher, brought a charming balance of sharp wit and awkward fidgeting to their characters. The moment they meet their chemistry quickly make them a loveable pair as they talk about sex, women, and how they see the world. While they’re youth makes them ignorant of some of the world, their reality is very hard and adult. With smart dialogue and editing that carries the film’s momentum to the end, watching these kids step into the unknown is incredible.

Yes this is a coming of age story, but what separates it from the rest is an even balance of reality and grand story. As they face their trials, our characters interact with an unforgiving world with genuine heart. While their problem solving is adventurous and good for the screen, the film never loses touch with its world. Their strange adventure snowballs into a controlled chaos that is exciting and believable because it stays close to the ground. This only brings us closer to simple and refined narrative.

The only real issue I had with this film is its ending wasn’t as satisfying as I hoped it would be. I’d say this is due to it’s attempt to stay grounded, as real life doesn’t have very tightly wrapped up endings where all the threads are nicely put together. Amazingly while a lot of moments are never called back to, this film still maintains a very strong narrative momentum where you’re never waiting for scenes to be over. This film is crudely lovable in all the best ways. If you want to see a human story that just can’t help to be fun to watch, please see Winter Flies.