Grand Hotel

At the top of Ještěd mountain above Liberec the weather changes every minute, while 30-year-old oddball Fleischman, who works as a maintenance man for the local hotel, also maintains his own opinions, whatever the weather. He shuts himself off in his own little world, where it seems the only thing which interests him is meteorology. In reality, he is desperate to leave the confines of his native town. Then the timid new chambermaid Ilja unexpectedly enters his life, who has passively succumbed to the whims of her ambitious lover, the waiter Patka, for too long. Boss Jégr and the old Sudeten German Franz also play an important role in Fleischman’s life… The screenplay for David Ondříček’s tra­gicomedy was penned in association with writer Jaroslav Rudiš, who wrote the novel of the same name. The film, making use of the unique atmosphere of the futuristic hotel on Ještěd, was nominated for seven Czech Lion awards and took away two statuettes (for music – Jan P. Muchow, and sound – Pavel Rejholec, Jakub Čech). It was screened at Berlin IFF in the Panorama section, and also at the IFF in San Francisco.