Review of Cesky Sen

Saying that the directors, Vit Kusak and Filip Remunda, only intended to pull an April Fool's day prank on 10 million people would obviously be too perfunctory an observation. Pronounced "chess-key sen", the movie literally, 'Czech Dream', is a wonderfully directed documentary comedy on one hand and a reality show on the other. The power of consumerism can be tested in different ways and media's overpowering influence used to make people do things is what the movie primarily tells you.

Two students of Czech Film Academy, by way of their final year project, test the concept of modern consumerism that embodies the notion that a lot of fact is really only part truth when it comes to media campaigning. Their movie is a satirical corroboration to this notion by trying to prove that they can successfully create a 'bubble' out of thin air and make people believe it is real. They do this by conceptualising a hypermarket that will improve the lifestyle of the Czech public with a promise of low prices, great offers and a dream shopping experience. They do this with sponsorships from a top luxury apparel brand house, a media company (who have differences with the directors' motives on ethical grounds but choose to be professional and do the job anyway for the learning it would provide), real market surveys (this part is a small treat for marketing students) with real families and volunteers and before all this even a grant for making the movie from the nation's Ministry of Culture.

The whole process is documented in this film with superb music; a melodious mix of directed music as well as impromptu responses from the public. The 'Hey ho!' is still haunting me as I write this. The music is also a part of the publicity campaign that is both no holds barred 'corporate' as well as replete with double entendres of carefully chosen words- 'Don't bother', 'don't wait', 'don't shop' etc. There is no escaping from the deluge of messages that the dream supermarket ad campaign provides- TV, Radio, fliers, public interviews etc and the public chases the dream to its ribbon cutting ceremony.

In the course of the movie, the directors themselves learn a lot about the science and art behind the marketing promotion of a hyper market. With clothes borrowed from the sponser, they appear in publicity campaigns featuring as the managers of the 'Czech Dream' hypermarket in Prague (whose location they do not reveal till the very end of the campaign). What happens next is an easy guess on most groundsm especially the reactions of the ropable crowd of 'shoppers who meet the surprise'. But some responses from the calm people there are surprising and insightful toward the motives of the directors.

The movie is well cinematographed, even if in 'no glamour, only documentary' style. The music, the script and the natural responses from the unsuspecting participants is quite moving yet funny.The movie was shot, read as the 'dream scam' was played, a few months before the European Union referendum was signed by the people of Czech Republic.The movie aimed to raise questions in the people's mind by brining more people face to face with the need to take a careful look at the national media campaign to vote in favour of joining the EU.

To a marketing student Cesky Sen reiterates that when consumer expectations clash with reality the result is not always pleasant either for the marketer or for the consumer if there is a gap beyond the lattitude of acceptance by the consumer. Like any caricature, the gap is accentuated in the movie. This is a point well made by the award winning directors who have been acclaimed to have a promising future based on the critical success- not sure of the box office success- of their debut venture.