Mandragora (film)

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Mandragora is a 1997 film by Czech director Wiktor Grodecki about the mental and physical decline of a 15-year old boy who runs away from his seemingly distanced father to Prague, where he becomes a victim of the drug and sex scene.

Marek (Miroslav Caslavka) feels misunderstood by his father who in turn cannot accept that his son does not want to go to school anymore. They quarrel, and Marek runs away to the Czech capital, where he initially rejects the advances of the pimp Honza (Pavel Skripal), but later gives in because he needs money.

His first attempts at prostituting himself do not go so well—his first john drugs him and then rapes him in his sleep. Marek finds a friend in David (David Svec), with whom he works together. David also has problems with his father and fears him, even if it remains unclear why.

Marek and David are hired by the porno producer Krysa (Kostas Zerdolaglu) for a film, and it gradually becomes clear that Marek, as opposed to the other boys who pride themselves on their heterosexuality, has feelings beyond friendship for David. Eventually, the two are ordered to have anal intercourse, which Krysa correctly remarks looks like a crucifixion.

Finally, David is arrested for the robbing of a punter, which causes Marek to completely lose his mental balance, starting to take drugs like speed and heroin in sizable quantities. In a last poignant scene, the father (who has come looking for his son in Prague) and the son end up in the same public toilet, where the son is taking drugs, but of course only the audience knows this, as the camera is hovering above the stalls.

While the first half or so of the movie is conceived in a way that emphasizes the realism of the situation, the second half relies more heavily on black humor, unrealistic events, and exaggerated characters (like Krysa) to show the hopelessness of the main character's situation. Especially the scene with father and son next to each other, only separated by a toilet stall door, vehemently denies the resolution of the conflict in typical Hollywood fashion.