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Up and Down

Play trailer Poster for Up and Down R 2004 1h 48m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 65 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Post-Soviet Prague is seen through parallel stories of Czechs who share the same city, and yet are worlds apart. Human traffickers ditch a foreign baby with a working-class couple, who so love their new child that the husband (Jirí Machácek) drops his racist soccer hooligan pals. Meanwhile, middle-class Martin (Petr Forman) returns home years after his now-ailing father wooed and won his girlfriend from him. Since then, the couple has raised a child, Martin's sister -- or maybe his daughter.
Up and Down

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A tragi-comic exploration of the universal search for stability in post-Communist Prague.

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Critics Reviews

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Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle May 8, 2005
3/5
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. Go to Full Review Ann Hornaday Washington Post Apr 29, 2005
For an engrossing, funny, sad, cautiously hopeful portrait of post-Soviet life in Eastern Europe, look no further than Up and Down. Go to Full Review Richard Nilsen Arizona Republic Apr 28, 2005
4/5
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. Go to Full Review Amber Wilkinson Eye for Film Jun 14, 2008
4/5
An ambitious premise that only just falls short of genius. Go to Full Review Peter Calder New Zealand Herald Dec 30, 2006
5/5
This densely textured film by the writer-director team responsible for the sublime wartime drama Divided We Fall (2000) displays the same giddy blend of realist drama and bleak humour in the fine absurdist tradition. Go to Full Review Marta Barber Miami Herald Apr 21, 2006
3/4
When you understand its message, the film takes on a different level. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jun 17, 2018 Jan Hrebejk directed this cleverly sprawling comedy-drama about life in post-Communist Czech Republic. See more Mar 7, 2013 I really liked it...unlike anything I've seen before, but great characters and acting. Richy developed storyline...the ending doesn't resolve everything so I wouldn't recommend to those who liked tidy conclusions. See more Apr 17, 2012 A strange Czech film about race tolerance and especially about intolerance, about emigrants, imigrants... and life itself :) ... The best catch-phrase... about a baby of imigrants with dark skin: "On jet? vybledne..." ("He will still fade...") :))) See more Dec 31, 2011 Beautifully done. The actors are wonderful. Czech women are beautiful at every age! Dekuji. See more Nov 24, 2010 Foreign, Czech. Good movie. Funny in some parts and sad in others. Average story, but done in a very good way. All people tied by a common thread. I liked it. See more Nov 24, 2010 This one can be a bit polarising depending on the viewer's expectations. Watched it last night thinking it would be a comedy, but I'd have to say it veers more towards drama with a couple of funny moments. The plot is sometimes a bit clunky but quite clever. The different (intersecting) stories make an interesting assessment of race, migration, and class issues in present-day Europe. Worth watching when you are in the mood for a good foreign film. See more Read all reviews
Up and Down

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Cast & Crew

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Jan Hrebejk

Director

Petr Forman

Martin Horecký

Emilia Vásáryová

Vera Horecka

Natasa Burger

Miluska

Jan Tríska

Professor Otakar Horecký

Ingrid Timková

Hana Svobodová

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Up and Down

Up and Down (2004) A scene from the film UP & DOWN directed by Jan Hrebejk. A scene from the film UP & DOWN directed by Jan Hrebejk. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Post-Soviet Prague is seen through parallel stories of Czechs who share the same city, and yet are worlds apart. Human traffickers ditch a foreign baby with a working-class couple, who so love their new child that the husband (Jirí Machácek) drops his racist soccer hooligan pals. Meanwhile, middle-class Martin (Petr Forman) returns home years after his now-ailing father wooed and won his girlfriend from him. Since then, the couple has raised a child, Martin's sister -- or maybe his daughter.
Director
Jan Hrebejk
Producer
Ondrej Trojan
Screenwriter
Jan Hrebejk, Petr Jarchovský
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Ceská Televize
Rating
R (Sexual Content|Language|Brief Violence)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
Czech
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 5, 2004, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Feb 25, 2005
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 13, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$244.1K
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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