Synopsis
In 35 years of one couple’s shared life, a lot of things happen: from the moments of an absolute harmony to the dramatic falls. For the most of the time, the couple cares for common daily life issues and joys that come together with raising the children, running the household or running a business. And this is exactly the life of furniture shop owners Ivana and Vaclav Strnadovi, 2 characters that a director Helena Třestíková follows with her camera as of the year 1980 within a project The Marriage Story. Her new feature documentary about Strnad family is linked to TV films from this cycle, but most importantly it shows further shocking twists, that life brought to the couple and their children.
COUNTRY
CZECH REPUBLIC
PRODUCER
KATEŘINA ČERNÁ
PAVEL STRNAD
GENRE
DOCUMENTARY FILM
CO-PRODUCER
CZECH TELEVISION, WITH THE SUPPORT OF STATE CINEMATOGRAPHY FUND (CZ)
RELEASE DATE
19. 1. 2017
SCREENING FORMAT
DCP, BLU-RAY, HD FILES
RUNTIME
102 min
Trailer & Photogallery
Cast & Crew
WRITER AND DIRECTOR
Helena Třeštíková
EDITOR
JAKUB HEJNA
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
David Cysař, Vlatimil Hamerník, Jan Malíř, Miroslav Souček, Ervín Sanders, Jiří Chod, Robert Novák, Antonín Kutík
SOUND DESIGNER
Richard Müller
About the film
The director Helena Trestikova, was approached in 1980 by the company Kratky Film, with a request to observe several married couples from their wedding thru following six years. The first part of the Marriage Stories project was completed in 1986. The theme of the project was to investigate the causes of a high divorce rate among young couples. The main characters of the new feature film – A Marriage Story, parents of five children and owners of the furniture store, resisted not only thru the previous sequel of the Marriage Stories shot after 20 years, but as well for another ten years.
“Choosing Strnad’s family for this film was our joint choice together with the producers. It seemed that several important topics were reflected in the story of this family. Besides matrimonial relationships, there are relationships with children, belief in their own abilities and determination to take life into their own hands and to take over the business. What we found interesting as well, was their unique ability to reflect it openly and honestly”, says director Helena Trestikova. Strnads are remembered by many either because of TV films, or maybe because they have five children, which is not so common in the Czech Republic, and because they started their business in 1989 and opened a furniture store in the center of Prague.
The third stage of the Marriage Stories shooting has been running since 2009 and will be finished in 2017, after eight long years. Today, filmmakers work with all the protagonists, including Strnads, excluding only one woman who refused to shoot. Her husband and son, however, continue with shooting. After the completion, all episodes will be screened on Czech TV.