The Year of the Devil-Rok dábla (2002)

Directed by: Petr Zelenka | 88 minutes | comedy, fantasy, documentary | Actors: Jan Prent, Jaz Coleman, Jaromír Nohavica, Karel Plíhal, Karel Holas, Frantisek Cerný, Radek Poboril, Michal Pavlík, Radek Klucka, Jitka Obzinová, Eliska Klimesová, Sasa Mika, Václav Glazar, David Fotter

You do not capture reality with film, that is an old-fashioned truth. Nowhere is this as clear as in the fake documentary that shows how treacherous (real) documentaries can be. A skilled filmmaker can present a completely made up story credibly with great ease. Director Zelenka thus follows in the footsteps of illustrious predecessors such as Orson Welles and Rob Reiner. His ‘This is Spinal Tap’ (1984) in particular painted a hilarious portrait of a band-on-tour.
Zelenka already managed to surprise with ‘Knoflíkari’ (1997), a colorful frame story full of absurd characters and unlikely connections. ‘The Year of the Devil’ also begins with a strange introduction in which a series of witnesses report cases of spontaneous combustion. Even the naivest spectator knows what to expect.

A good fake documentary stands or falls with the cast, which must be credible, which is different from acting believable. For insiders it is nice to see Filmmuseum employee Jan Prent as the Dutch documentary maker and the other roles are also heavily occupied. Nohavica becomes a credible legend of Czech folk-rock and the small struggles and big conflicts that life on-the-road entails seem to have been plucked straight from an MTV feature. Clichés are masterfully magnified and all trump cards are played out, so that for a single moment the attention of the viewer threatens to stray from the main line of the story. Zelenka, however, is skilled enough to sustain a pleasurable evening of cheating.