A well-meaning if rather heavy-handed drama about life in Czechoslovakia in the Fifties under the Communist yoke. Newcomer Florence Hoath is a wonderful discovery in the pivotal role of Marushka, a young schoolgirl with an over-active imagination and bags of bravery - two things the rest of her family distinctly lack. They're too busy with trying to toe the official party line to worry about her fate. This Czech-British co-production boasts a cast heavy with familiar faces, including Joan Plowright, Ian Bannen, Hugh Laurie and Imogen Stubbs, and it's very disconcerting at first to hear English accents in Czech settings. But if you can stick with it through a muddled first half hour, this film has much to say about the price we are willing to pay for security and acceptance.


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