Tiger Theory (Teorie Tygra, 2016)

Even domesticated men can go wild!!!

A 2016 Czech adventure comedy film directed by Radek Bajgar - is a sterling example of the contemporary Czech dramedy, which was pioneered by directors like Jan Svěrák and Jan Hřebejk, and has been the predominant genre in the Czech film scene since Svěrák’s Kolja won an Oscar two decades ago.
But it’s a fine line to walk, and all too often these movies feel underwhelming or insufficient, sacrificing comedy for drama or vice versa and failing to satisfy on either fronts.
Tiger Theory, meanwhile, is up to the task. It’s darker and deeper and funnier that most of the Czech family comedy-dramas we’ve seen over the past decade-plus, and one of the finest examples of the genre. It would seem almost a shoo-in to be the country’s submission to next year’s Oscars, and it’s good enough to earn a nomination.

Jiří Bartoška is one of the Czech Republic’s most famous actors, known best, perhaps, for his work on TV. But we’ve never seen him dominate a film role like he does here: he’s incredibly endearing in the lead, and earns our sympathy the hard way with a warts-and-all performance that allows us to embrace what might typically be seen as shortcomings in his character.