''The Garden'' ( sk, Záhrada) is a 1995 Slovak feature film in cooperation with French Artcam International and Czech InFilm Praha directed by
Martin Šulík
Martin Šulík (born October 20, 1962, in Žilina) is a Slovak film director. He studied film directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava from which he graduated in 1986. His 2011 film ''Gypsy'' was selected as the Slovak entry for ...
. The film is a poetic tale of Jakub, a man in his early 30s. It reflects the relationships and desires of Jakub in the idyllic surroundings of his grandfather's garden. ''The Garden'' is one of the most recognised films of post communist
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. It is especially popular in Slovakia and the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. It won the
Special Jury Prize at the 40th
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1995, and several
Czech Lion
The Czech Lion Awards ( cs, Český lev) are annual awards that recognize accomplishments in filmmaking and television. It is the highest award of achievement in film awarded in the Czech Republic. The jury is composed of members of the Czech Fi ...
s in 1996.
The film was selected as the Slovak entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
68th Academy Awards
The 68th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1995 in the United States and took place on March 25, 1996, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beg ...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
[Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]
Plot
Jakub is a daydreamer in his early 30s and is still living with his father. The father is tired of Jakub's idleness and throws him out of the flat. He tells Jakub to sell the old garden of his grandfather and to buy his own flat. Jakub retires into the neglected garden and retreats into the worn garden house from the world and from his problems. The garden turns out to be a magical place full of surprises and mysteries. Jakub stumbles across his grandfather's journal which is written in reverse script. He finds a map leading him to an old bottle of slivovice hidden years ago. Now curious Jakub must solve the mysteries of his grandfather's garden. He meets Helena, a young girl Jakub's grandfather taught to also write backwards. Strange things happen in the garden, and some of them do indeed seem like miracles. Amid the eccentric events, young Helena teaches Jakub to appreciate the delicate mysteries of life. In the end Jakub loses all his possessions but finds his peace.
Cast
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
1995 films
1995 in Slovakia
Films directed by Martin Šulík
Czech comedy films
French comedy films
Slovak comedy films
Slovak-language films
Czech Lion Awards winners (films)
1990s French films
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