A zivot jde dál: A messy, heavy look at what happens when the war doesn't quite end

Should you watch this?

If you like movies that feel like a dusty old photograph you found in an attic, maybe. If you want something that keeps the pace moving or follows standard story beats, you will probably hate it. It is a slow, heavy slog, but honestly, it kind of has to be.

The whole setup with the fisherman’s life feels oddly intimate at first. You have Ivo and Marie just trying to exist by the coast, and then the war happens. It’s not even a big, heroic war story. It’s just the thing that ruins everything.

Watching Ivo rot in a P.O.W. camp is rough. The movie doesn't sugarcoat the waiting. The silence in the house back home is louder than any of the battlefield stuff. It makes you feel that specific kind of anxiety where you know something is wrong, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.

That walk home

When Ivo finally gets back, the movie finds its footing. Seeing his own name on a memorial? That’s a gut punch. It’s one of those scenes that doesn't need a lot of dialogue to work. You can see the air leave the room. It just hurts.

I couldn't help but think about how different this is from the more polished dramas like The Sea Master. Where some films want to make the ocean look grand, this one just uses it as a backdrop for a guy who just wants his life back but finds it’s been taken over by someone else.

The pacing is a bit of a disaster, honestly. It drags in spots where you wish it would just hurry up, and then it flies through things that probably deserved more time. But that’s real life, isn’t it? It’s rarely paced well. 🌊

• The lighting in the house scenes is surprisingly moody.
• The bit at the dance before he leaves? Everyone looks so uncomfortable. It's great.
• The memorial scene is probably the only one I’ll actually remember in a year.

It’s not a perfect film. Sometimes the acting feels like it’s coming from a different era entirely, which, well, it is. But there’s something honest about how it handles the return. It’s not a joyous reunion. It’s just awkward, sad, and heavy. Kind of like how things end up being when history decides to ruin your afternoon.