Director Bohdan Sláma refuses to infantilize or condescend to his elderly characters.

Kronerová and Nový are persuasive and engaging in the main roles. And they receive sterling support from the peerless avian acting of Adela the depressive chicken.

For the first time, older characters are at the heart of a Slma film, and Kronerov and Nov repay the helmer-writer with warm, dignified turns that require both soul- and flesh-baring.

With a narrative arch as clichéd as it is emotionally gratifying in its protagonist's attenuated characterization, this has the potential to be Slama's widest reaching endeavor yet.