The second work of director is devoted national folklore. It is a poetic gloomy fairy tale, a parable about man which wished to relieve a city from are nasty, but the love has prevented it. In a film many beautiful shootings of winter Prague, accompanied by good modern music which goes practically without stops.
Cinematography
Prague as frozen gothic dreamscape—every frame belongs in a gallery.
Score
Wall-to-wall contemporary music that refuses to let you breathe.
Direction
Brabec turns 70 minutes into an opera of snow and sorrow.
Director
F. A. Brabec
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on the Pied Piper legend, but specifically rooted in Czech folklore where the ratcatcher becomes a symbol of divine judgment on corrupt societies.
Brabec shot during actual Prague winters to capture real breath vapor and snow desperation—no CGI cold here. The relentless score was controversial; some critics called it suffocating, others transcendent.
CZ
