Mandragora (film)

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Movie
Original title Mandragora
Country of production Czech Republic
original language Czech , English
Publishing year 1997
length 133 minutes
Age rating FSK 18
Rod
Director Viktor Grodecki
script Wiktor Grodecki
David Švec
production Miroslav Steinbach
camera Vladimir Holomek
cut Viktor Grodecki
occupation
  • Miroslav Čáslavka: Marek
  • David Švec: David
  • Pavel Skřípal: Honza
  • Kostas Zerdolaglu: Krysa
  • Miroslav Breu: Libor
  • Jiří Kodeš: Marek's father

Mandragora is a Czech drama from 1997 by Polish director Wiktor Grodecki about underage male prostitution in Prague .

action

The focus of the story is 15-year-old Marek, who leaves home after an argument with his father about Marek's absence from school and travels to the Czech capital. The pimp Honza noticed the boy at the Prague train station . Marek first rejects his offer to work for him. After Marek is robbed of shoes, jacket and money, the 15-year-old goes to Honza to work for him.

For his first assignment, Marek is put to sleep with sleeping pills and is raped while doing this. In the course of the rape , however, Marek wakes up but cannot defend himself.

The plot now consists of a chronological sequence of events over several months as a prostitute. Among other things, a visit to a sadistic Brit is shown. During this time, he quickly befriends David, who also works as a male prostitute.

Marek and David are then hired by the porn producer Krysa. It is implied in this context that Marek, unlike his heterosexual friends and colleagues, is homosexual and has feelings for David. Against Marek's demands for safe sex , he is pushed to shoot unprotected anal intercourse with David. Later, when David was arrested for stealing from a client , it was found that he was HIV positive. With this news and the loss of the close reference person, Marek collapses completely psychologically. He starts taking drugs like speed and heroin in large quantities and regularly.

After a while, Marek's father travels to Prague to look for his son. At the end of the film you see Marek and his father in the same toilet in the Prague train station without finding each other. The father gives up his search and leaves. Marek and David's lives remain open.

additional

  • Czech President Václav Havel congratulated the director Grodecki in a public letter published in the newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes .
  • The director wrote the script together with David Svec, who played David in the film.

Awards

Festróia - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Tróia 1998 :

  • Won: Prize of the City of Setúbal - David Svec
  • Nominated: Golden Dolphin - Wiktor Grodecki

Palm Springs International Film Festival 1998:

  • Won: audience award

Web links