Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

gavin6942 Franta Louka (Sean Connery) is a concert cellist in Soviet-occupied Czechoslovakia, a confirmed bachelor and a lady's man. Having lost his place in the state orchestra, he must make ends meet by playing at funerals and painting tombstones.Although I am by no means well-versed in Czech film, I have seen a few of the New Wave pieces and have been impressed. Here, we see a much more modern, realistic approach. If the characters spoke English, this could have passed for an independent 1990s American film. (Maybe it is just my bias, but I tend to think the 90s were the best decade for indie film, second to none except maybe the 1970s.) The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia. The period of upheaval and transition took place from November 17 to December 29, 1989. Do Americans know about this? No, because we are rather ignorant of European affairs (which may or may not be a bad thing). Setting the film in this time creates an interesting dynamic, because Czechoslovakia has a nice distinction of being between the Western world and the Russian world (yes, Russia is part of Europe, but only in the most literal sense).

salmannawab Enjoyed the movie. Really liked the direction. Watched the movie with Subtitles and I wish I knew Russian or Czech to understand the language barrier between the characters. Found myself smiling through the subtle comical moments in the movie. It is a heart warming story which focuses on relation between a 55 year old man - Louka - a lady's man, who is dedicated to bachelorhood and a concert cellist struggling to make a living and a 5 year old Russian speaking boy - Kolya forced to look-after due to circumstances post a fake marriage in exchange of money. The characters were nicely built and the acting is superb. Wish more movies like this were created and appreciated, a work of art.

Syl This Czech film is worthy of all the accolades. Set in Prague on the end of communism, a Russian mother marries a Czech musician to become a Czech citizen in a marriage scam. Franta Louka is a lifelong bachelor and heterosexual who lives alone in an apartment. When his wife leaves for the West, she leaves her five year old adorable son to a relative who becomes ill and is handed over to Louka. Their relationship progresses as the reluctant father takes a liking to the boy. The film also shows how communism and soviet resentment in Czech. The film is both light hearted and serious. I couldn't help but feel sad by the end. The cast is first rate especially the young boy who played Kolya.

freebird-64 I'm puzzled why Hollywood never attempted a remake of Kolya. While I was watching it I kept imagining Billy Bob Thornton in the role of Louka, the lead character of the film. In fact, Zdenek Sverák, the actor who plays Louka, actually resembles slightly the Hollywood actor.All kidding aside, Kolya is actually pleasant viewing, the kind of sentimental middle-of-the-road, life-affirming fare that Hollywood seems to embrace when it comes time to pick out the Best Foreign Language Film nominees (See France's The Choir and Joyeux Noel as examples). This is not to denigrate its modest virtues, but really, this is the kind of film your grandmother would love.Kolya is about a 55-year old confirmed bachelor who despite his age, can still score hot chicks half his age that look like they came from the pages of Playboy Czech Republic edition (probably not surprising since Sverák also wrote the screenplay of the movie). Denied a place in the national philharmonic orchestra for not being politically correct enough, he makes ends meet with a variety of odd jobs, including playing for cremations and restoring headstones. Still, Louka is heavily in debt, he needs a car and his mother is nagging him for money to repair the family house.A gravedigger friend of his offers him the chance to make some serious money by entering into an arranged marriage with a Russian woman who wants to stay in Czechoslovakia longer. But the deal goes wrong when the "wife" defects to West Germany, leaving him in charge of little Kolya (played by cute but not too cute Andrei Chalimon), a kid he can't even talk to since he's not conversant in Russian.One of the most notable things about this film is its subtlety. Unlike a Hollywood movie, it does not rely on too-obvious characterizations to show the transformation in Louka. In fact, Louka does not have that far to go in his character arc from commitment-phobic bachelor to potential family man material; he's not a mean man, he simply does not want the responsibility of taking care of a child, in the same way that he has avoided getting married to avoid commitment.This subtlety extends to the ending, which follows its premise to its logical end. I won't tell you what happens, but you can probably figure it out. There are no big surprises at the end. But the filmmakers also allow for a happy ending for Louka, in a brief shot that you may miss if you blink.My irreverence toward Kolya does not mean that I didn't like the film. It's pleasant enough viewing, not great but not bad either. Its probably most notable for the pitfalls it avoids, rather than what it actually achieves. Perhaps it's good that the film was never remade by Hollywood after all.