05/07/2024 - Jiří Havelka’s third film probes the conflict between tradition and modernity, but ultimately falls short as a satire, emerging as more of a thinly plotted and repetitive tragicomedy

Czech playwright and director Jiří Havelka first gained attention with his breakout hit Owners [+see also:
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film profile], a chamber dramedy about a meeting of apartment owners that takes a sour turn. He followed this up with Emergency Situation, a dramedy about a group of people trapped in a runaway train wagon. Both films examined group dynamics in confined settings. His third outing, The Gardener’s Year, marks a departure from this and is led by Oldřich Kaiser as a grumpy, world-weary garden-shop owner who clashes with the unseen new owner of the neighbouring chateau. The gardener’s tranquil life is upended when he refuses the new owner’s offer to buy his property, triggering a relentless campaign of harassment aimed at coercing him into submission.

Compared to Havelka's previous works, The Gardener's Year (a Special Screening at the Karlovy Vary IFF) transitions to a pastoral setting, probing the conflict between tradition and modernity, and the disparity between the privileged and the common man. The director, who also wrote the script, frames this encounter as a year-long struggle, with the gardener enduring escalating injustices with a passive, somewhat stoic, resilience. As boundaries are increasingly violated, the gardener seeks justice from the authorities, including the helpless mayor (Alena Mihulová) and her inept lawyer (Petr Lněnička). However, they are overwhelmed by the wealthy owner's ability to exploit bureaucratic and legal loopholes, effectively obstructing any legal recourse despite the evident aggression. The film's title refers to Karel Čapek's book of garden-themed feuilletons, which are narrated by Kaiser in voice-over, as his character remains silent on screen.

The themes and moral undertones of The Gardener’s Year have already been explored in various forms, ranging from social realism to satire. However, Havelka’s approach, characterised by a slow pace and predictable repetition, renders the film unoriginal and lacklustre. In the final act, Havelka inexplicably introduces PTSD scenes, disrupting the established tone and style, which detracts from the film's coherence, as The Gardener’s Year is not intended to be a psychological drama. The movie also fails to function effectively as a satire. While the legal entanglements that leave the gardener defenceless suggest such caustic undertones, these implications do not achieve any sharper satirical impact. Promotional materials touting the movie’s "Kafkaesque" elements are misleading, as there is nothing even slightly so in the style or approach of this rather thinly plotted tragicomedy.

The film's primary strength lies in Kaiser's non-verbal performance as a beleaguered gardener pushed to the edge in the face of escalating harassment, ranging from minor annoyances to outright aggression. Despite this strong performance, The Gardener's Year ultimately feels like a misstep in Havelka's career. It lacks the satirical sharpness, witty dialogues, and engaging and less straightforward plot development that marked his debut.

The Gardener’s Year was staged by Donart Production and co-produced by Czech Television.