TWO ROADS

“No one is suffering. They live with a diagnosis.” This sentence, spoken by founding member Šimon Ornest, is representative of the self-conception of the Czech band “The Tap Tap”. Made up entirely of individuals with handicaps, the group has gained a fair amount of fame over its long history. Between footage of rehearsals and concerts, promotional and political performances as well as private ups and downs, Radovan Síbrt’s documentary film places the focus not on the band members’ diagnoses, but instead shows them as personally complex individuals with dreams, compulsions and drives, with light and dark sides, like all humans possess. In the process, the protagonists argue about political and ethical principles too; they get married, split up and flirt; and they indulge in hedonism with cigarettes and (too much) beer. By choosing this approach from the start, Síbrt manages to do justice to the group’s special spirit and their message of equality. A thoroughly coherent tribute to a troupe of wonderfully expressive human beings.