Zralok v hlave

Viewed this gem at the 2006 Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California, and was utterly captivated.

ZRALOK V HLAVE (SHARK IN THE HEAD) moves along--without being boring, despite its simple theme--due to the expressive talents of its protagonist, in conjunction with director Maria Prochazkova's skillful pacing.

Oldrich Kaiser is forever memorable as Mr. Seman, a schizophrenic man who almost never moves away from his "windows on the world" perch on a semi-busy side street of his hometown. His mother has recently died, and he now turns his attention to each and every individual who passes through his aura of influence. He offers his heartfelt gifts with no seeming motive, as he is content no matter what their responses.

Jana Krausova plays "the Lady," a breathtakingly beautiful and wise older woman who gradually "listens" to Mr. Seman with an open heart, and is possibly soothed from the sharks in her own head, through the gifts of this guileless man who is innocent of plan or purpose.

SHARK IN THE HEAD is soul food to the serious film-goer. And, hopefully more and more filmmakers will embrace this fact: people are hungering for films that linger.

Josephine Zeitlin, Actor/Los Angeles & San Francisco