Four Suns

Bohdan Sláma, who won a Tiger Award in Rotterdam in 2002 with his feature debut Wild Bees, continues to build up a refined, unmistakably personal oeuvre. His fourth feature, Four Suns, is set in a small Czech village; the protagonists are not so successful in life and only just manage to keep their heads above water. But alongside setbacks and poverty (and alcohol) there is always friendship and solidarity (and alcohol).
Jára lives with his wife Jana, their young daughter and his teenage son Véna from a previous marriage. There are problems with Véna: he’s not getting on well at school and is hanging around with a group of losers. Basically he’s a lot like Jára, who has just been sacked again. Jára decides to work with his friend Karel, who is very spiritually inclined. But will Karel’s talents be of any value?
Sláma again reveals himself to be a gifted narrator with much understanding for the weaknesses of his characters. Four Suns is a loving, almost magical story about growing up, believing and letting go.