While there have been a great number of engaging coming-of-age dramas, each providing its own unique take on that most fervid eruption of emotional tumult, all too few have the luminous charm, intense fascination and refined detail of 'Ruzové sny'. Set against the beauteous, faintly oppressive bucolic backdrop of intimately observed village life, Dusan Hanák's inspired, beautifully photographed, emotionally wrenching drama is among the finest ever made. Enveloping you warmly in a captivating stream of sublime consciousness, very few films can match this passionate, profoundly moving account of burgeoning adolescent love.
Jakub (Juraj Nvotna) is the bicicle-zooming village postman, a likeable lad who appears to be deeply embedded in the myriad comings and goings in the close-knit hamlet. Taking errant pot shots at pot-destined poultry, giving enthusiastic piggyback rides to his beloved octogenarian auntie, Jakub's sun-dappled, seemingly charmed life reaches an unprecedented existential crisis when he falls for the beautiful young gypsy girl, Jolanka (Iva Bittová). A doomed, bittersweet romance, since both of their families aggressively oppose their relationship. Sadly, Jakub & Jolanka's earnest love for one another becomes tinged with tragedy, as class prejudice, familial squabbles and threats of violence corrupt the innocent lover's bliss. Dusan's elegiac, humane, emotionally honest love story reaching a uniquely heartfelt and dramatically rewarding climax.
It would be a great disservice to gifted filmmaker, Dusan and his extraordinary film to liken it to another. 'Ruzové sny' aka 'Rose Tinted Dreams' is a unique, perpetually effervescing delight, expressing a richly beguiling character all of its own. The film's lively idiosyncratic qualities are no small testament to the remarkable talents of the uncommonly gifted crew and truly delightful cast of natural, wholly unaffected actors. Without wishing to sound trite, 'Ruzové sny' remains a profoundly compelling, kaleidoscopic view of joyfully tumultuous young love, both sentimental and searingly honest, giving the enraptured viewer the edifying sensation of having just witnessed something entirely magical.
