Tomáš Matonoha

THE CAN, the new film by Tomas Vorel, captures the volatile entrapment felt by many highschoolers today - in the Czech Republic, and well beyond. Petr and Michal would rather not go to school. When they do happen to be there, they sleep through the lesson because they‘ve been up all night spraying graffiti. For what does high school prepare them? Neither the arrogant physics teacher nor the long-winded Czech teacher nor the lonely gym teacher have the answers. Their mundane principal isn‘t able to guide them either, for she, like many of the teachers, is lost herself. Even their sympathetic grassroots art teacher joins the kids more than leads them, moving, like spray, to the margins. Spraying is what really empassions these young people. It‘s a way to leave their mark, but a dangerous way: involving roof top risks, illegal entries into the metro, and dramatic smokestack climbs. For the kids, this way is more real than high school. For them what‘s real is the risk of falling, the chase with the authorites, the cruelty when caught. No wonder their unhappy parents are stressed out to the point of making deals with the principal. THE CAN, by Tomas Vorel, will leave its mark, as it boldly spells out the real problems faced by young people today.