Up and Down (Horem Pádem) (Loop the Loop) (2004)

83% of critics liked it
(65 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(1,135 ratings)

The often uncomfortable bonds of family intersect with the wary political and social allegiances of the Czech Republic following the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the end of Soviet occupation in this drama from director Jan Hrebejk and screenwriter Petr Jarchovsky. Goran and Milan (Zdenek Suchy and… More The often uncomfortable bonds of family intersect with the wary political and social allegiances of the Czech Republic following the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the end of Soviet occupation in this drama from director Jan Hrebejk and screenwriter Petr Jarchovsky. Goran and Milan (Zdenek Suchy and Jan Budar) are criminals who, while ferrying a truckload of illegal aliens into the Czech Republic, discover that one of their cargo has misplaced a baby; looking to turn a profit wherever they can, they sell the lost child to Lubos and Eman (Marek Daniel and Pavel Liska), two petty thieves who run a black-market adoption agency. Among Lubos and Eman's clients are Miluska and Frantisek (Natasa Burger and Jiri Machacek), a barren and lonely couple who are unable to adopt due to Frantisek's criminal record, which amounts to a bout of drunken foolishness during a soccer game. Meanwhile, Martin Horecky (Petr Forman) is a Czech expatriate living in Australia who comes home for a visit following the death of his father, who abandoned the family before Martin was born. Circumstances prove not to be especially welcoming for Martin; his mother (Emilia Vasaryova), who has become poisoned with race hate, invites two guests for his homecoming dinner, a half-sister he's never met (Kristyna Liska-Bokova) and her mother, who was once Martin's girlfriend (Ingrid Timkova). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Jan Hrebejk
Written By: Jan Hrebejk, Petr Jarchovsky
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 16, 2004 Limited
On DVD: Jul 19, 2005
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
For an engrossing, funny, sad, cautiously hopeful portrait of post-Soviet life in Eastern Europe, look no further than Up and Down.
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
The movie asks us to see these people as humans and to forgive them for being human and doing to each other what humans beings do to each other. It's a deeply humane film.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Serious stuff, to be sure, but hilarious touches abound.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
It manages the neat trick of being both charming and bilious, and its tart points about racism translate excellently into English.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Høebejk claims inspiration from the likes of Mike Leigh and Woody Allen, and that can be seen in the surety of the characters, brought to life by an able cast that includes former Czech president Václav Havel.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
An accomplished film that uses dark humor to leaven its serious topics.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
An ambitious premise that only just falls short of genius.
Marta Barber, Miami Herald
When you understand its message, the film takes on a different level.
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com
Forget Crash. This vivisection of race and class, set in the Czech Republic, offers no easy redemption, if any.
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
A thoughtfully engaging offering for discerning foreign film fans.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
A sprawling comedy-drama that actually tries to say something -- not just about its characters, but about the Czech Republic and what it's turned into since becoming a capitalistic society.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
[A] fascinating but disjointed portrait of strained family relations in the modern Czech Republic.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Up and Down spends most of its time at the lower elevations.
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com
Hrebejk suggests, through this tragi-comic film, that while things are rough now, they've got to get better. I mean, they can't get much worse, can they?
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Hrebejk's stylish direction and perfectly chosen cast make what might otherwise have been a depressing tale of post-perestroika working class woes into a melancholy, comedic riff on what it means to be European these days.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic][color=green]"Up and Down" is a movie from the Czech Republic which starts out with two truck drivers smuggling a group of illegal refugees across the border. In a rush to get everybody out of the truck, a baby is left behind. The baby is sold to a… More
[font=Century Gothic][color=green]"Up and Down" is a movie from the Czech Republic which starts out with two truck drivers smuggling a group of illegal refugees across the border. In a rush to get everybody out of the truck, a baby is left behind. The baby is sold to a couple in desperate need of a child. Meanwhile, a university professor collapses during a lecture. While in hospital, his current family learns about his previous family he abandoned years before, including a son who emigrated to Australia.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#008000][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#008000]"Up and Down" is about immigration and emigration and how the people of the Czech Republic have responded to it. Sometimes, the differences across a dinner table can be striking - the professor's first wife is a virulent racist while his second wife works with refugee groups. [/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#008000][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#008000]"Up and Down" is an intelligent, thoughtful, well-acted movie, even if some of the scenes do go on too long.[/color][/font]
Sarah P

A very interesting film based on dysfunction and racial tension. I also enjoyed the acting very much. It was a very serious story, but had humor and jokes throughout that were pulled off well.
FanGirl B

Really solid film with a great version of the 'inter-twining storyline' genre.