Catalogue of Czech Television Programmes
This film was inspired by the story of two young men arrested, convicted, and imprisoned in Asia for attempting to smuggle heroin and other hard drugs. On the one hand, the film testifies to how the cruel vagaries of fate can affect anyone who is thinking about making easy money running drugs. On the other, and above all it serves as a powerful warning to todays younger generation. It is certainly worth mentioning that The Damned is the first film ever made on the subject of drugs in Thailand with official government approval. Our fictionalized story begins at an airport somewhere in Southeast Asia where Patrik Lovický, returning home to the Czech Republic with his stepbrother Tomáš, is being arrested. From that moment on two parallel plots unfold. The first follows Patrik Lovickýs cruel fate after his arrest, and his persistent efforts to clear himself with the help of the Czech consul general. As viewers, we witness a touching meeting with his mother: she has flown over to speak with him if only for a few moments . . . . We come to fully understand his utter desperation after being sentenced to life in prison, and with fascination we follow his struggle to survive in Bon-wong, an extremely rough prison. The second storyline focuses on Tomáš upon his return to the Czech Republic. Only after arriving home does Tomáš learn that Patrik has been arrested for smuggling four kilos of heroin. With the help of a video that Patrik shot on his trip and which his stepbrother accidentally discovers after flying in to Prague airport, Tomáš tries to retrace the events leading to Patriks arrest and to find the actual culprit. But the tale recorded on the videocassette is full of ambiguities. Maybe things are a bit different than they at first seemed . . . .
35mm | 98' | © 2002
director(s): Dan Svátek
producer(s): Czech Television, Whisconti and Holiday Films
scriptwriter(s): Dan Svátek
director of photography: Tomáš Sysel
cast: Jan Plouhar, Jan Révai, Isabela Bencová, Dana Vávrová, John Comer, Denis Rudge, Erdem Bileg, Rob Das, Michaela Kuklová and others
rights available: TV, Video, Internet, Theatrical
original language: Czech
subtitles available: English