All My Loved Ones (Czech original title: Všichni moji blízcí) is a 1999 Czech-language film directed by Matej Mináč. It was co-produced by Czechia, Slovakia and Poland.
The Silbersteins are a happy Jewish-Czech family living in Czechoslovakia, circa 1939. Jakub Silberstein is a successful medical doctor, happily married to Irma. They adore their two children, a young adult daughter Hedvika and a small son David. There are warm relationships among all members of their family, especially Jakub's parents and his four brothers (David's cool uncles), and also among their Jewish community. Mr. Klein's daughter Sosha is David's close friend. But everything changes when Nazi Germany takes over their country.
The Nazi threat starts to creep into their lives, but they are initially in denial about the looming danger and can't imagine how bad the persecution can get or that it can be any worse. Especially Jakub and Irma Silberstein insist they live in Europe in the 20th century, claiming that pogroms are events of the distant past. But by the time they realize the reality of the imminent horrors, it's too late for most of them and they are unable to find a way out of the country. Jakub's brother Samuel, a renowned musician, meets Nicholas Winton, a British humanitarian who organizes the rescue of Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia.
Tropes:
- Age-Gap Romance: Sam is an older bachelor who finally decides to marry. His young fiancee is much younger: she's 25. His former lover meets them one evening and sarcastically asks whether she's his illegitimate daughter. Sam's brother Jakub asks him what he thinks she sees in him, and that he hopes that's more than his violin (i.e. his fame). His parents are against the relationship because she's much younger and mainly because she's not Jewish, but his father eventually consents. Her father however convinces her to leave him when the Nazis take over Czechoslovakian borders. He says that as a Jewish man he has no future and that it's not about love, but life, and especially his daughter's life.
- Cool Uncle: Max and Sam.
- Sam the famous violinist is a confirmed bachelor who jokes with his nephew David and teases his young adult niece Hedvika. He lets David drive a car and gives him an expensive camera. He decides to get married because he's fallen in love.
- Max is a Cool Uncle to David and his friend Sosha. He comes to their house with a huge dog Oscar, horses and a merry-go-round. They adore his animals and over-the-top stories. However Max is sad deep down because his wife has left him. His motto is "keep smiling" and he tries to appear cheerful even when he's basically a refugee from occupied borders.
- The Casanova: Sam's ex warns Alena that he has had many women in the past and implies that he will have more beside her. She also says that Alena shouldn't consider their relationship steady, especially when he hasn't introduced her to his family. Sam's mother tells Alena that Sam was unlucky in love and that he didn't choose right women.
- Downer Ending: David is the only one of the family who survived the Second World War. All of his loved ones were taken by the Nazis and died in concentration camps.
- Driven to Suicide: David's uncle Samuel is unable to deal with the persecution of the Jews and the fact that his fiancee left him, so he kills himself. His family is devastated, as is his ex-fiancee.
- Family Portrait of Characterization: David gets a camera from his uncle and they take many photos at his birthday party. One of them is shown and there are his parents, his sister Hedvika, aunt Angelika and uncle Marcel, uncles Sam and Leo and his best friend Sosha. David holds a huge birthday cake. They are very close and look happy. The film is narrated by old David who is the only one from their family who survived WWII.
- Happily Married: Jakub and Irma are very happy together and they're loving parents to Hedvika and David. Jakub is a medical doctor and his wife is at home, taking care of the house and the children.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: Irma says she has wanted to sing in opera her whole life and she was talented, but her parents didn't allow her such a career. That's why she wants David to practice: He has to play the violin and he also plays the piano.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: David's father Jakub (a medical doctor) has four brothers: Leo (a cantor), Sam (a famous violinist), Marcel (an inventor who is a bit crazy and impractical) and Max (a free spirit who has travelled a lot and loves horses and dogs). They're all very tight as adults and they all love and respect their parents.
- Metaphorical Marriage: David and his best friend Sosha are inspired by David's sister's wedding and the two of them perform a Jewish wedding ceremony, complete with vows, Sosha's getting a ring, drinking from one cup and smashing it to pieces and taking a photograph. Their only witness is a family dog. David later tells his mom that he promised Sosha to never leave her. She tearfully says they might get married one day, but David insists they already are married.
- Narrator: The beginning and ending is narrated by adult David Silberstein.
- Precision F-Strike: There's almost no swearing in the movie, except when the Silberstein brothers fondly remember their dirty parody of a nursery rhyme they loved screaming as children, but Sam uses one swear word when he calls his brother Jakub, David's father, on the phone: "We're fucked, bro. At least save David." Then he promptly hangs up. He refers to the possibility of contacting Mr. Winton and getting David to Great Britain. Then Sam shoots himself.
- Quizzical Tilt: Oskar the dog tilts his head at David when he's a witness at David and Sosha's wedding.
- Shiksa Goddess: Samuel Silberstein is engaged to Alena, a beautiful blond woman who is Christian. She loves him but her father persuades her to leave him because of the persecution that the Jews are facing.
- Shotgun Wedding: David's sister Hedvika gets pregnant and hastily marries her boyfriend Robert. He wants them to emigrate when there's still time, but her parents disagree and forbid her to leave the country because of her pregnancy.
