Zápisník alkoholicky

"Zápisník alkoholicky" ("Her Drunken Diary") treats the theme of alcohol addiction in a strange mix of drama and humor that goes off-putting for some time, but it's a quite manageable work as well. It's not much effective when it comes to the issue of recovery and redemption since there are many things treated in a non serious and non realistic manner, which may affect viewers perception of the whole; but when it's dealing with the disease and the whole difficulties and damage of it all, it hits many great memorable notes that makes the story relevant and worth seeing. The acting helps a lot too.

It's also a real life story as written by blogger Michaela Duffková, here played by Tereza Ramba, recounting the many phases of her drunken days, which affected her role as a wife of a hard-working husband (Miloslav König) and a mother. And if such tasks go along with some heavy pressure, she's undermined by her demanding mother-in-law who keeps advising her son that she's not a good wife/mother.

A single bottle of wine doesn't hurt anyone until that one bottle becomes several through the course of days, weeks, months and problems rise for anyone to see, from the wedding party to more dangerous scenarios where the baby is almost put at risk, and the woman becomes a violent person who refuses to see that she needs help.

It's a very gripping film but not much a moving one. The seriousness of Michaela's addiction with countless symptoms and effects was done in a great manner, the moments of withdrawal and how she tries to cope with them; and the whole marriage dissolution is done a relevant manner where we can relate with both sides, the affected one by addiction and the one who's trying to help the sufferer. Other great inclusions are her relationship with her separated parents (the dad is also an alcoholic trying to overcome his addiction), and a friendly fellow addict she meets on a therapy group.

But on the other hand, there are affected moments trying to show things in a lighter/funny perspective that simply doesn't work. Take the opening scene, which later on repeats in the middle, when the man takes a picture of the woman on the ground (it's later revealed as being a party) after drinking champagne. It's like he's mocking her, but by that time he already knew that she had a problem. The quick appointment with a therapist when she claims she doesn't any problem and later on she's given medicine without having a full session, it simply didn't ring true. Those bits and others hurt the story since the seriousness of it all is quickly established, it's how audiences can understand and evaluate the risks she faces and the ways she can get help.

A fine movie, no doubt about it, but it doesn't reach the greatness of similar themed films made in the past, both the darker ones and the positive/hopeful ones. 7/10.

Before I start my review, I have a bit of an issue with the name itself. In Czech, the title is rather the Diary of a (female) Alcoholic, which fits represents the movie better than the English version. The movie is apparently an adaptation of a real blog based on the real experience of its' author. The acting is pretty good, especially the lead Tereza Ramba who really sells the spiral into alcoholism. In the beginning you kind of empathize with her situation an maybe even pity her. This empathy then kind of turns into repulsion and disgust as she falls deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. There is a short full frontally nude shot of her in a bath tub (which is actually fairly pointless and unnecessary to the plot) but there is nothing attractive about the moment because I was so disappointed by her choices at that point.

Why didn't I rate the movie higher? The movie feels like it's trying to be more than it is. Its' attempts to be deep and mysterious are just vague without catharsis at the end of the movie. Sort of like decimating the pages from a book (tearing out each 10th page) instead of actually constructing a narrative that gradually unravels. Her whole spiral into alcoholism is presented in a manner you'd expect from an afterschool special for teens. I understand that the path to alcoholism is very often the same for a lot of people, and this being the experience of a particular person, they wanted to stick to the truth even if it was clichéd. They didn't have to present it as a cliché though.

The flashbacks into the past are attempting to be artistic and creative perhaps, but the themes are never expanded upon enough and as I've mentioned there isn't a catharsis by the end of the movie. I didn't expect a happy end, but at least a resolution would be nice. There was the potential for it to be bittersweet but the movie just sort of fizzes out.

The last new Czech movie I reviewed was Annaismissing, where I pointed out that it is very good regardless of it's origin. Well with this movie I do need to state that it is pretty good, but "for a Czech movie" which is unfortunately a low bar. The subject matter is important to be talked about and the acting is excellent, though the rest is sort of just ok with the cinematography and editing feeling basic and the storytelling leaving a lot to be desired.