Cosy Dens Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
If you’re looking for a comedy beyond the Iron Curtain, check out Cosy Dens. You’ll meet a mixture of Czech families celebrating Christmas in the 1960s – some Bolsheviks, some apolitical, some fans of America. As with any big family Christmas, there’s a lot of arguments. These ones often get hilariously out of hand.
From: Czech Republic, Europe
Watch: Trailer, Watch on Amazon
Next: Closely Watched Trains, The Royal Tenenbaums, Toni Erdmann
Why Watch Cosy Dens?
- See what life was like in 1960s Communist Czechoslovakia
- To experience Czech humour
- See some amazing East German inventions
- For some macho men
The Breakdown
Cosy Dens starts with a teenager trying to hang himself. He’s fallen in love with his neighbour who is in love with his best friend. Luckily, he doesn’t pick a very sturdy beam and ends up crashing to the floor.
It’s a pretty dark opening, but it sets the tone for the rest of the film. Anything and everything is there to be made fun of, no matter if it’s a teenager trying to hang himself or a policeman telling us how he killed two (probably innocent) people. It’s a great introduction to the dark, sarcastic Czech humour.
The main target of the film’s humour is the men. Firstly, there’s the overly macho dads that take their bets/arguments a bit too far. Secondly there’s the overly strict old war veteran who spends most of the time complaining about everything his wife and daughter do. Then there’s the collection of men that the single mum meets which ranges from an amateur magician to a murdering policeman. In short, the men are not portrayed well. They are domineering but idiotic, and are lost without the reasonable and rational female characters.
It’s also interesting to see the varying loyalties to the communist state. Some are members of the communist party and others staunchly oppose it. However, they all are relatively free to do what they want. The kids are exposed to some American music and films. and some get away with vocally opposing the regime. Cosy Dens shows a Czechoslovakia (before the Soviet Invasion) where you could make fun of the state and live a relatively normal life.
What to Watch Next?
If you’re looking for more Czech film, check out Closely Watched Trains. It’s another comedy, so you’ll see some similarly dark humour, but it’s set during the Second World War as the Nazis started taking over.
Or if you want to meet another crazy family, check out some of the following:
- Little Miss Sunshine: to meet a pretty unique family from the U.S.
- The Royal Tenenbaums: Wes Anderson’s family peaked 10 years ago.
- Toni Erdmann: to see the most awkward father you could ever have
- Force Majeure: this family argument gets hilariously bad
I’d also recommend checking out Wild Tales for some even darker humour from Argentina.
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