Having heard of it, strangely, through my studying for AP Euro last spring, I have just now gotten around to renting the highly touted Czech film. Of course, many movies with very good reputations end up being underwhelming. Apocalypse Now comes to mind as a film whose excesses failed to deliver the messages it was intended to in a realistic manner.
Closely Watched Trains, however, was absolutely brilliant in it's remarkable subtlety. It carefully treads a line between perversion and innocence, youth and maturity, love and ennui, humanity and soullessness, and hope and foreboding.
The ending especially killed me, as one could see the happiest ending of all happy endings just within reach, just to be stolen away at the last minute. The reaction of all of the characters present contrasted with Maša's reaction was especially shocking. In the end, Closely Watched Trains walks so find a line between tragedy and comedy that I am left completely bewildered by it and no not what to think.
In fact, I think I should prefer to imagine Miloš emerging from that final cloud of smoke and rubble after the movie's end.
