OVER THE HILLS

A great distance. Two thousand eight hundred fifty-two kilometres between Brno and Diveyevo, between the East and the West, between father and son. Far away, so close. At the end of summer holiday Vít and his son Grisha set off for a long journey to Russia. As soon as they get in the car, son puts his headset on and father immerses himself into memories. Still the two cannot escape one another. But there is one thing that can bring them close once again – a joint search. But what are they actually searching for?

MARTIN MARECEK

Eva After finishing grammar school (1992), Martin started cultural studies at the Philosophical Faculty at Prague’s Charles University which he never finished but went on to graduate from the Department of Documentary Film at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) in 2002. In his documentary filmmaking, Martin focuses on the «ecology of the spirit», the role of the non-profit sector, and the chance of the individual to shift or even change the world of today. Known for Maple 98 (1998, short), Dust Games (2001), Home Within... (2003, short), The Source (2005), Auto*Mate (2009), Solar Eclipse (2011) and Over the Hills (2019).

«These are fathers of ours» is a title of a litho depicting Cyril and Methodius which hangs in the living room of our main character’s native home. It is one of very important opening scenes of the film. Vít is sitting on his beloved couch right underneath this picture, his eyes cast down. Quiet, concentrated, remembering. I guess all of us have our own place like this, as well as our own pictures which have been of a great importance for us since our childhood. «These Are Fathers of Ours» had also been a working title of our film for quite long time and it helped us stick to our topic. This working title covered a particular detail of the story as well as a general frame concerning father figures and motives which affect us in today’s society. On one hand there is the popularity of authoritative politicians and macho solutions, on the other hand we are aware of the fact that half of all marriages fail after a few years and human relationships keep flowing through a whirlpool of permanent changes. What kind of fathers will our sons turn into? We had a unique opportunity to watch Vít and Grisha, father and son who set off for an important, faraway visit. Full of uncertainties, stumbling as well as showing a sincere determination. In the editing room there was born a fragile film elegy for a family striving to bridge the gap between love and loss, between inner selves and continents. Faraway from up close.

• Karlovy Vary Film Festival
• One World Slovakia
• Listapad Minsk
• Tromso Film Festival
• DOC Aviv

DOKer 2020 — Main Competition