Hanicko, co s tebou bude? is a lot of staring and very sad eyes

Is it worth a watch?

If you're the kind of person who likes to sit in the dark and look at grainy faces from a hundred years ago, then yes. You should probably skip this if you need things to blow up or if you can't stand reading title cards every thirty seconds.

It is a very specific vibe. It feels like looking at old postcards that someone spilled coffee on.

The story is about Hanicka. The title literally asks, "Hanicka, what will become of you?" which is a pretty heavy question to put on a kid.

Nina Rachinská plays her with these huge eyes that seem to take up half her face. Seriously, the eyeliner is so thick it looks like she used a Sharpie, but it works for the drama.

There is this one scene where she's looking out a window and the light hits the dust in the room. It's not fancy, but it felt real, like I was sitting in that dusty room with her.

The guy, Pavel Trojan, is fine I guess. He mostly just stands around looking like a man from 1924, which involves a lot of stiff collars and looking very serious about everything.

I noticed a dog in one of the outdoor shots that looked way more interested in a piece of trash than the actual actors. I love stuff like that. It reminds you that the world was still moving around them while they were trying to make Art.

The pacing is... well, it's a silent movie. It moves like a turtle on a cold day.

Sometimes a title card stays on screen so long I had time to check my phone, put it away, and the card was still there. It’s a bit much.

But then there's a moment where Hanicka has to make a choice about her future and the music (if you have a good score playing) really starts to swell. You can feel her panic.

It reminded me of the drama in Within the Law, just with more European sadness and less courtroom shouting.

The writer, Nikolai Larin, clearly wanted us to feel bad for everyone. Life back then looked exhausting. Everyone is always worried about money or their reputation or some guy who doesn't like them back.

There is a scene in a kitchen where the mother is cooking and she looks so tired she might just fall into the soup. It's a small detail but it stuck with me more than the big romantic bits.

I’ve seen The Monster and that felt like a totally different planet compared to this. This is grounded, maybe a little too grounded in the dirt and the grey sky.

I think the middle part of the movie drags way too much. There’s a lot of walking. So much walking from one house to another house.

You start to wonder if they just didn't have enough script so they told everyone to walk slower. It’s a common thing in these old films, I guess.

One of the actors, I think it was Jan Richter, has a mustache that is so perfectly curled it’s distracting. I spent five minutes just wondering how much wax he used instead of listening to the plot.

The ending isn't exactly a happy one, but it feels right. It doesn't try to wrap everything up in a neat little bow.

It’s a bit like Dope in the way it handles people making bad choices because they don't have any good ones left. Though obviously, the setting is way different.

If you’ve ever felt like your life was out of your hands, you’ll get Hanicka. She’s just a girl trying not to drown in her own life.

The film is imperfect and the print I saw was pretty scratched up. But the scratches kind of added to it, honestly.

It’s like finding an old diary in an attic. You don't care if the pages are yellowed, you just want to know what happened.

I wouldn't call it a masterpiece because some of the acting is way too much. Like, when someone gets bad news, they don't just look sad, they throw their whole body against a wall.

It becomes a little funny when it’s supposed to be tragic. But that’s just how they did things in 1924.

Anyway, it’s a solid bit of history. Not as fun as Around the World in 80 Days, but much more honest about how miserable things could be.

I’m glad I watched it, but I don’t think I’ll be rushing to see it again anytime soon. One dose of Hanicka’s problems is enough for a year.

If you like seeing how people used to live and cry, give it a go. Just bring your own snacks because the pacing won't give you any adrenaline.