Ice Mother

A well-made story from everyday life about an elderly woman, her two dumb sons and new love springing from ice-cold water. The unusual story shunts along smoothly. Sláma has no problem with handling both the comedic offerings and more serious topics. The duo of Nový/Vízek and Adéla lead the whole film towards an unexpected outcome, which is a middle finger raised against family values and all happy endings. Very good. (19.07.2020)

Yes, Bohdan Sláma's style is instantly recognizable - a mild depression laced with humor - and I enjoyed the mixture as usual. Zuzana Kronerová was excellent and Pavel Nový gave what I thought was his most down-to-earth performance, which I greatly appreciated. Moreover, I must highlight the dedication with which the swimmers dove into the waves of the Vltava River and the creators’ handling of the family relationships, especially Táňa Vilhelmová’s character. (18.04.2018)

Surely the best of Bohdan Sláma. I actually have a bit of a problem with his other films. And even this one isn’t completely easy. He actually blends an interesting topic with story twists which I would gladly cut from the film. As an example, I give you the sex scene or the one where they turn Zuzana Kronerová into a sort of Marylin Monroe. These are the moments that make you think that they really didn’t need to be there. But then it wouldn’t be a drama by Bohdan Sláma. Well, that’s who he is. But it is still a very interesting drama, in which the characters of Mrs. Kronerová and Pavel Nový were written perfectly and it was a pleasure to watch them. The arrogant rest was also good, but they took a back seat. For instance, it is very nice to see that Václav Neužil Jr. can play an explicitly negative character. Ice Mother is therefore an honest drama of a European value, which is great. You can see that we can do it too. (18.03.2018)

So this is what Sláma spent five years of his life working on? Compared to his previous films, the message of Ice Mother is too banal. I’m between 3 and 4 stars, but compared to other Czech productions, Sláma's work shines like an oasis in the desert, full of refreshing water, which is actually quite unflattering news about the current state of Czech cinema. Sláma is one of the few certainties today, at a time when even Hřebejk is slowly declining, and his work with actors is still admirable. And I still really enjoy his socially sharp scripts about people whose lives are fucked up, to put it mildly, or fucked up by those closest to them, and they haven't got old yet. (30.01.2018)

Bohdan Sláma is one of the best contemporary Czech directors. He does not make popular films, but rather demanding films with a specific target audience. This is reflected in lower ratings. Ice Mother is a critically acclaimed demanding spectacle from the everyday life of one family, with a beautifully crafted screenplay and a strong message. And with plenty of lunatics crawling into icy rivers. (29.05.2019)