Karel Zámečník

A look at the legendary Czech sound designer and his profession. Editor and documentary filmmaker Adéla Špaljová has her father Ivo Špalj talk about his life, career, and working methods. Over the course of his long life, sound designer Ivo Špalj (*1940) has collaborated on hundreds of films and become a mentor for at least one generation of men and women behind the mixing board. This gentle documentary also shows “Engi” (as he is known to his colleagues) again working with Jan Švankmajer, whose films he has lent their typical, dense, and sophisticated sound mix.

Richard and Alice quarrel on an exotic vacation because Richard wants to get a divorce. They decide to fly home early, but their small plane crashes on a deserted island, forcing Richard and Alice to wait together for rescue.

Everything avoidable during one’s lifetime might later become the building blocks of the afterlife. Here, fears have to be faced and journeys to be taken alongside one’s shadow.

The charismatic and self-confident man, Karel Král, is the editor-in-chief of men's magazine. Although a chauvinistic type, he is very popular with women. However, he struggles in his personal life. He frequently argues with his ex-wife over their 17 year-old daughter Julie, who despises his new way of life. Then the consequences of his behavior catch up with him. He loses his job, and the editor-in-chief position is given to a young and beautiful woman. But his bad luck does not end there. After another fight with his ex-wife and daughter, and a woman driver crashing into his car, Karel and his best friend Cestmír have an evening of binge drinking. During the wild night, he expresses a wish to be a woman. When he wakes up the next morning he discovers that his wish has been granted.

This is not just a game. It is an escape from everyday life, an escape which is impossible to give up. Loaded Eels is a black comedy about a group of men who decided to escape from their everyday lives through role-playing. They pretend to be soldiers of SWAT team, evacuating community centers, dragging unsuspecting people into their game. They are driven by Adrenalin and delusion which makes them feel like Robin Hood. Stealing from the rich, giving to the poor. Everything goes smoothly until they find themselves in the wrong place and at the wrong time.