GRAVEHOPPING

Why are we afraid of death but not of life? In his tender tragi-comedy Jan Cvitkovič shows a group of characters who are trying to come to terms with mortality – by therapy in some cases, by ignoring it in others. The film centres around the funeral orator Pero and his family: Ida, who is deaf-mute; Vilma, whose husband only comes home for quick sexual relief; his father Dedo, whose failed suicide attempts are becoming increasingly bizarre. Yet all of them do experience moments of pure joy in life – and why should the living be sad if the dead have left suffering behind them? At the end, however, even the orator falls silent in view of his own helplessness. Award for Best Film at Cottbus.