An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World (1997) User Reviews

A triumph of life?

[thecatsmotheruk · 8/10 · 2 December 2004]

This is a very bizarre fairy tale. It commences with a wedding and singing and dancing but nearly the whole village is wiped out by wolves. The bride gives birth to a daughter several months later and promises her to the boy who saved her.

Ten years later there is another disruption when Some circus folk come by and the villagers trick them into staying. Tragedy ensues...

This has a strange cast, dwarfs, giants, priests and occasional intrusions from the modern world in the form of the police and a wonderer who returns bringing to the village the good news of Nostradamus. It is a long film but it honestly does not drag. and if you get bored of the plot you can always look at the sumptuous Countryside.

A Folked up masterpiece! Like "the Village" seen through the eyes of Kusturica, Paradjanov and Jodorowsky!

[NateManD · 9/10 · 25 July 2005]

"An Ambiguous Report about the end of the World" is a bizarre end of the world fairy tale. It was two years in the making for director Juraj Jakubisko. The story is based on the prophesies of Nostradomus, that's why it takes place in a non existent time. At first I though I was watching a time piece film, but later you see a motorcycle, helicopters and men in contamination suits. Some of the costumes of the film are strange looking, especially if your not familiar with European culture. There is Czech folk outfits, men with feather hats and other strange gypsy like clothes. Don't let the outfits distract you, because the film is simply amazing. The beginning is disturbing as the village is massacred by wolves after a wedding. Even a baby and children fall victim. The musical score was so powerful, that this scene haunted me long after it was over.

In the attack, a man named Goran saves a baby, Verona the mother promises him the daughters hand in marriage when she gets older. Then the movie goes ten years into the future. A circus comes to town and becomes a slight disruption for the village. There's a crazy cast of Felliniesque circus freaks. There's an 8 foot tall lady, a midget and even a monkey. The film even includes a kiss between the the midget and monkey. Weird huh? Finally the film goes further in the future by ten years, but the environment looks the same. Goran finally marries the girl, because she is now twenty. But Goran still has feelings for the girls mother. So the situation turns into a folk gypsy Jerry Springer style drama, except without the trailer court. An Ambiguous Report.... is original and unlike anything you have ever seen. Gorgeous cinematography, heartfelt performances, haunting images and an amazing musical score by Jan Jirasek. Director Juraj Jakubisko won many well deserved awards, including 4 Czech Lions. I enjoy eastern European directors because they put there heart and soul into all their work. A very Ambiguous report, I must say!

It is a fantasy - and it has problems

[P-frish · 1/10 · 4 August 2006]

The other reviewer noted:

It is happening in non-existent time (20th century, perhaps) and is based on Nostradamus prophecies

S/he also said:

"Some of the costumes of the film are strange looking, especially if your not familiar with European culture.

There is Czech folk outfits, men with feather hats and other strange gypsy like clothes.."

Here I differ: If you are familiar with Czech (or rather Slovak or Ukrainian) culture, history and customs,

you will find the costumes even more strange than the story.

That does not bother me; I like a good fantasy:

Example of a good fantasy (a fairy tale, using Czech/German folklore is The Brothers Grimm (2005)

"..Not quite the story of the Brothers Grimm I know..

Shot in Prague, Czech Republic, the film is dark, yet beautiful. .." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355295/

The problem with this movie is not that authors invented a parallel universe.

Problem is that they packed the movie with exaggerated episodes of all what is wrong with many regional Czech/Slovak movies: It is mostly about getting drunk, incoherent pub shouting and eating with intensity but not finesse of a food-porno movie.

All that with necessary pig-slaughter ceremony rendered in naturalistic details with lots of blood and gore and - eh - bad manners.

I suppose some people may like such naturalistic scenes. I had to fast-forward trough most of them. I do not recommend this movie, particularly not for gentle souls.

The definition of the word "pretentious"

[naillon-2 · 1/10 · 23 January 2007]

This is the worst movie I've ever seen, and I've seen some pretty abysmal wastes of film.

Slovakian director Jakubisko has made some very good films; unfortunately, this is not one of them. He cast his wife, Deana Horvathova, as the lead, and this was not the least of his mistakes. Horvathova is one of the worst "actresses" in film today; she is completely wrong for the part she plays, and you don't believe a single thing she says or does. The woman simply should not be involved in the film industry in any way.

The story, such as it is, is ridiculous. A village almost wiped out by wolves? People in 18th-century clothing being firebombed by helicopters? Gunfights in the woods? Forget it.

This is a complete waste of time. Don't even let someone pay you to see it.

what did i just watch?

[skoloman · 1/10 · 4 October 2017]

when i saw the title of the movie and even the IMDb rating i was interested. ,,hmm'' i thought, maybe this will be good and interesting. but no. it was boring... and weird. basically the entire plot is about people in a small 19th century village talking and shooting wolves??? then a modern helicopter(!) with some army guy shows up and then it goes back to boring scenes of people talking and shooting wolves.

1/10 don't recommend