Things have been going slowly on this blog. Unfortunately, I don't have that much time to devote to it at the moment, so posts will appear less frequently. Some things are on the way, but I don't know when I will get them out. I'd like to say that I'm feeling fine and hope you are too in these unpredictable circumstances.
Recently, thanks to a friend, I got to see Narco Blues (or Narkoblues, the title in Czech) for the first time. This film was made in aiF Studio in 1997 as, I believe, aiF's only completed one-shot puppet short film, not tied to character series. Directed by famed director Břetislav Pojar together with cameraman Ivan Vít, it was part of Rights from the Heart series, which highlighted different problems children face when their rights are violated. This film dealt with drugs - here is a synopsis from the NFB of Canada, which co-produced the film with aiF and Czech Television:
On summer vacation a young teenager finds himself hanging out alone on the streets of his neighbourhood, all his friends having gone to the country with their parents. Near his home he meets a disturbing character, a drug pusher looking for clients, who introduces him to an artificial paradise. The teenager discovers a seductive and terrifying world that frequently draws him back to his neighbour. To buy the drug, he empties his piggybank, pawns his favourite possessions and finally goes into his mother's purse where he finds her wallet empty. The pusher is unscrupulous. Unable to pay, the young teenager lets himself be persuaded into committing a theft. The duo is surprised by the police, but the boy manages to escape. The incident leads to a bad trip, which ultimately has a salutary effect on him. An animated film without words for twelve to seventeen year olds.
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