Customer Reviews

Mandragora

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

What "Pusher" did for the drug trade, "Mandragora" does for teenage male prostitution. It's an incredibly brutal and honest look at the life of a Czechoslovakian boy who runs away to Prague in order to escape an unhappy home life in a small town. Little does he know he had it very good at home. The film is incredibly graphic on all counts, but needs to be to make its point. This is not a film for children or the squeamish as there is full-frontal nudity, depictions of graphic sex, extreme violence, sadism, drug use, self-mutilation and suicide. It's an excellent film, but definitely not a happy film. In and of itself, this film rates 5 stars.

Now let's discuss the DVD itself. It's terrible. The studio that released this film, Water Bearer, apparently did so without love or care for this film, just the possibility of making some fast money. The print used for this transfer skips in several places (this is really unacceptable as the film is only four years old as of this writing), and could use some cleaning up and remastering (too many scratches and artifacts). Some darker scenes suffer from some very visible digital transfer problems. The sound is poor through some passages, resulting in background bass "thumps" whenever the characters speak. The English subtitles are riddled with blatant spelling errors, typographical errors and very poor grammar, most likely translated by someone for whom English is not a first language. A few scenes in English are subtitled in Czech, for some unknown reason. And, although this doesn't bear on the film directly, there are no extras. You either view the film in its entirety, select one of seven incredibly long chapter stops which will have you hitting the fast-forward button in frustration, and that's it! No interviews, no commentaries, no trailers, no talent files, nothing.

So buy this DVD for the story alone and you won't be disappointed. Expect more and you'll be sorry.

The story of a Czech runaway's descent into the world of drugs and male prostitution. If you ever bought a Bel Ami video, this might make you think twice about the world that these boys come out of. Excellent acting, good story, might be too intense for many. Makes _Basketball Diaries_ look like a Disney movie, so beware.

NOTE: According to the dictionary: Mandragora is 1) a plant of nightshade family: a plant with a forked root resembling a human body that was formerly believed to have magical powers and was made into a drug and 2)a 14th century alteration of medieval Latin mandragora, influenced by man, drake "dragon" (from its emetic and narcotic properties).

MANDRAGORA, the astonishing film from the Czech Republic written by Wiktor Grodecki (who also directs) and David Svec (who also acts in the film), is aptly named: mandragora is the world of male prostitution that seduces young lads with promises of money and ultimately poisons them with the burning disease of loss of self respect and ultimately of life.

Marek (Miroslav Caslavka in a stunning performance) is a beautiful 15-year-old kid from a little village in the Czech Republic who has aligned himself with petty criminals to have better things such as classy clothing, a lad whose single father (Jirí Kodes) demands he stay in school (yet is always in the background to salvage Marek's errant life situations) and who seems to be prepping his son for a better life. Marek hates school, which he sees as merely a path to be a welder like his father. The father and son collide after another crime spree and Marek leaves home for the big city promises of Prague.

Once in Prague Marek is observed by the pimp Honza (Pavel Skripal) who follows Marek, knowing that Marek's future in the city is doomed without Honza's 'protection'. Within a day's time Marek's luck with the slot machines dries up and Honza convinces him to be his 'rabbit' - a male prostitute. Marek's first encounter with an American 'john' ends disastrously and the beaten Marek returns to the streets where he encounters a fellow hustler David (David Svec). Together they forge an alliance to escape Honza's compound and begin a life of successful prostitution. They are bonded (the probability of Marek's actually being gay and physically attracted to David is strong) and together they encounter all manner of unseemly characters involved in the underbelly of Prague's male prostitution life.

Characters weave in and out of Marek's and David's life, each time leaving scars that grow more visible as does the threat of drug problems and AIDS. They eventually consent to embrace the lowest level of making gay porn where the cruel director forces Marek to be sodomized by David. They are raided by the police and Honza reappears as Marek's nemesis. Through a series of drug-induced hallucinations and dreams Marek envisions what his future holds and his descent is stamped. Yet at this point Marek's father journeys to Prague in search of his son, discovers his life style, is terrified and angry and tangentially passes Marek in a critical final scene that is devastatingly sad.

This film is dark, frank, cruel, realistic, and sweats with the evil of the belly of the beast that is Prague's underworld. Yet the direction is so fine and, equally important, the acting by Miroslav Caslavka so sensitive that we as the audience are swept into an overwhelming compassion for these unfortunate lads whose seemingly only hope for a better life is one of humiliating degradation. MANDRAGORA is a no holds barred examination of a dark life that maintains a precarious balance between caricature and character development. Yes, it is lengthy at 126 minutes, in need of editing in areas, has faulty subtitles, and a strange musical score by Wolfgang Hammerschmid who extrapolates Puccini's 'Nessun dorma' and Bach's 'Erbarme dich' and 'Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder' from the St Matthew Passion for heavy effects, and very dark cinematography by Vladimír Holomek, but despite these sidebar problems, they only slightly mar the overall impact of a very important film. Grady Harp, August 05

This is a Czech film (subtitled) about a 15-year-old boy that runs away from home and finds himself penniless and lost on the streets of Prague. Spotted by an evil pimp, he's soon dragged into a life of prostitution, drugs and crime, transforming him from a wide-eyed boy into a hardened street junkie turning tricks for money or drugs. Eventually he ends up in a sleazy porno film made by a real sleaze that can't seem to get enough powder up his nose. Meanwhile, the boy's father searches for him in horror and disbelief of the lifestyle he's uncovering in the grim, seedy underworld in the clubs and streets of Prague. A well-directed film, with a great, moving and honest performance by Miroslav Caslavka as Marek, the main character.

Don't buy this thinking it will will be "erotic" or "sexy". The film goes for gritty realism, and you hardly see any of the sex that goes on in the film. There's also occasional violence that gets rather bloody...not for the squeamish, but an intense, moving film.

Before deciding to view this film, I had researched much of the background about the director and actors involved with this production. This film's first objective, I believe, is to expose the humiliating and degrading underbelly of underaged male prostitution and the horrors of the gay porn industry. But it also succeeds in evoking amazing thought processes in the mind of the astute viewer, who will be questioning whether this realistic depiction is truly believable. In the end, the viewer will realize that it is. Anyone who cannot feel pity for the youth who are sucked into this terrifying, unforgiving realm must need to have their head examined.

A necessary word about the DVD edition, not at all impressive folks. The print used was obviously well played with no attempt to correct film artifacts or sound distortion. This is only mildly distracting, mostly at reel changes, and shouldn't discourage anyone who is interested in the subject from viewing the film. And don't expect any bonus materials either, there are none. I suppose we should be grateful that Waterbearer at least makes the film available, but how unfortunate that some background about the director, screenwriters, actors and others was not at least attempted. Grossly overpriced for what you get, rent it instead, if you can find it, and keep your fingers crossed for a more expanded version soon. You WILL want to view it again with some friends.

The director of this film (Wiktor Grodecki) also did the documentary exposé "Body Without Soul" just one year earlier in 1996. Before you read further (or order this film), I suggest you go and rent/buy that DVD first. "Mandragora" attempts to dramatize 97% of the content in "Body..."

The story is simple (and almost cliché for cinema, but not for real life). Teenage boy (Marek) is fed up with school and his single father; who, incidently, obviously only wants his boy to have a better life than he. Marek becomes a local punk/hoodlum and, in fact, the movie begins with his breaking into a store display window. Still, the father even takes extra measures to deal with authority figures after his son's mischieviousness.

Regardless, Marek runs away on a train to Prague and, upon leaving the train, is targeted for induction into the seedy underworld of prostitution in Prague. He's drugged, molested, paid...and in with the game. He soon befriends David, who has high business hopes, but little experience to see them to fruition. David helps free him of the pimp that found him at the train station. Oh...and it should be mentioned that the drama includes no actual prostitution or [simulated] sex. In fact, they soon have 30,000 czech crowns[],and you literally have to assume they got it through prostitution.

All along, we see their adventures through Marek's eyes. The bars, the prostitution, understanding the pimps and the johns...all of these things are matters of course. They move from being initial 'rabbits' (newcomers/fresh) to professionals, to entrepreneurs and ultimately into pornography.

The movie is often slow. It actually takes 35 minutes for Marek to realize that he's becoming a prostitute...the actual point of the movie. On top of that, the images are generally dark and the translations are poorly done. In many cases, you often wonder what the heck they meant by certain statemtents. Also, the continuity is horrible. You never really know when and/or where they are in the story. Then, suddenly they are sick with AIDS...after what seems like days or a few short weeks. (While AIDS takes months to physically effect the body)

Most unfortunate is that this movie is almost Plageuristic (?) of Wictor Grodecki's own earlier work "Body Without Soul." He simply added actors acting out some of the scenes from the documentary...

The only truly GOOD part of the movie was played by the father. He showed true emotion, longing, etc. that indicated that 'this is a man who is desperately seeking his son.' He learns what his son has become and goes after the boy. And, one of the few really great scenes in the movie involves him (toward the very end).

I suggest you RENT this one and buy "Body Without Soul." It's more honest and true...and you'll appreciate the story and the concept more.

This is a complicated movie, with a dark subject, but a powerful one, worth lingering over. The movie charts the fall from innocence of 15 year old Marek into personal ruin and death after he runs away from home to Prague.

Despite the very sad plot, the movie is strongly voyeuristic. Ostensibly a moral tale warning of the pitfalls of the gay teen boy prostitution scene, the viewer will find himself fascinated as they watch this sweet boy be stripped of his small town innnocence, and sink into total debravity. Just as Marek achieves some level of stability, he is drawn down shortly into the next step of the personal disaster to which he is destined. Against his better judgement, Marek's lack of self-esteem causes him to be drawn into increasingly serious mistakes in judgement, until he reaches his final ruin.

Ostensibly about Prague's gay teenage prostitution scene, the movie is also an allegory about Czechoslovakia itself. If you understand Czech history, you'll recognize it in this movie. The Czech people struggled for hundreds of years to achieve national self-determination, only to have it smashed by the degradation of Hitler's Munich. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Czech Nation fell into the clutches of Stalinist Communism. The "Prague Spring" was ruthlessly repressed by Soviet invasion. The fall of Soviet Union only led to the disasterous 'privatization' as national symbols and assets of Czech pride were sold to Western Capitalists and Russian Oligarchs. Eastern European, and particularly Czech movies, all seem to have morose themes which I attribute to the tragic history of these societies.

The performances of the principle actors, David Svec and Miroslav Caslavka are outstanding. You'll fall in love with them both! And no one is a better director of the dark movie then director, Wiktor Grodecki. The music score is a great assortment of classical music that complements the dark plot. The photography of of backstreet Prague and rural Bohemia is worth the price of admission alone.

Because I ended up watching this movie several times, and picked up new things each time I watched it, I've given it 5 stars. This movie has a message, and unlike so much stuff out there is well worth your time to absorb it.

I have not seen another movie by this director-so I can not compare this DVD to his documentaries-but this movie is a small, heartbreaking, and hard to forget exploitation film. The seductive cinematography allow us to see the Prague through the (mostly) sympathetic eyes of a 16 year old hustler (Merek) who happens to be gay (he seems to be one of the few male prostitutes in this film who is). The travelogue-style opening shots of Czechoslovakia suck us in to the bleak nihilistic underbelly of post communist Czechoslovakian society populated by people who dwell on the fringe, surviving any way they can from one day to the next. Apparently, when the fog of communism lifted from this part of the Eastern Block, fascism replaced it with its trademark culture of violence-in a post AIDS world. But this becomes incidental.

This motion picture is more like The Passion of Christ than My Own Private Idaho. However, unlike Mel Gibson, this director mercifully spares us from many of the details of the violence inflicted, but the effects of that violence stay with us. Intense, unflinching and gritty-at times difficult to watch, like an automobile accident in slow motion-the combined homoerotic and homophobic content (the inherent contradiction in this type of filmmaking) exploits the eroticism it condemns. Not one of the cardboard characters who impacts Merek's downward spiral has many (or any) redeemable qualities-most are manipulative, self-centered and cruel. Merek's youthful good looks and unsinkable innocence keep us watching, while his father's search for his prodigal son gives us hope. One wonders why a filmmaker would become obsessed with the world of young male hustlers and wicked male predators. Is this one self-loathing homosexual's effort to paint a picture of modern Babylon through an exploration of his own desires? Or greed? (Or both?) Imagine what this director could do with a good script. Rent, don't buy

Wiktor Grodecki's masterful film entitled "Mandragora" is by any standard, a stirring and gut wrenching example of poverty gone amok. The torrid film depicts the story of Marek, superbly played by Miroslav Caslavka, a troubled boy of fifteen who, bored with the juvenile pranks and idle antics in an average town, seeks the glitz and glitter of the city of Prague. Once there, he quickly realizes the needs of life in the big city come with a price, one which he cannot afford and thus succumbs to the hungry appetite of the predatory elements surrounding him. Beginning with the alluring promise of quick cash for services rendered, Marek, quickly realizes this means his 'innocence' which is taken after being drugged and raped. Escaping the inattentive and uncaring pimp, he descends into the depths of sexual perversions when he encounters and befriends a more 'experienced' partner who trades him to a dark, sadistic pair, leaving him broken and violated. The decent into the perverted practices continues when, after a brief respite, he finds himself beaten, left for dead and in the hands of a vicious pornographer. With his father searching for him, the boy having survived an appalling apprenticeship, delves into the illusionary and dead end world of drugs where father and son unfortunately miss each other by inches. All in all, a truly revealing film for anyone wishing to have a worm's eye view in the slow death of male prostitutes. ****

If you have seen Wiktor Grodecki's 2 documentories on the rent boys of Prague "Not Angels But Angels" and "Body Without Soul" you will see many of their stories merged together in this riviting drama of one boys life on the mean streets and what he has to do to survive. Some of the real life working boys also appear in this film to add another dimention of authenticity.