“3 Seasons In Hell” is about the life of Ivan Heinz, a young Czechoslovakian poet as the Iron Curtain descends upon his country and people. His anarchic, bohemian spirit pours over into his poetry, into his friendships, into his father’s home, into every corner of his life… at the same time, he also meets another free spirit, Jana, who refuses to let him make love to her, hoping that this will drive his creative forces.
But even as he succumbs to the charms of chaos, rebellion and Marxism, the angles of his life repeatedly abrade against the newly formed Iron State. His friends are executed, he steals food to survive and his father’s house is 'socialized'. As he decides to make a last ditch attempt to flee to Paris, fate intervenes. But then again, so does the goodness of humans. Great casting; if Krystof Hadek (Ivan) is good, Martin Huba (Ivan’s dad) as a retired Colonel is impeccable.
Incidentally, I realized that the title is from Rimbaud’s A Season in Hell (Une Saison en Enfer)
