With Last Routine, director Jakub Cervenka delves into the life of Czechoslovak figure skater Ondrej Nepela. Set in the 1970s, the film does an impressive job of bringing its period to life. Against the backdrop of an intriguing historical era, Last Routine follows Nepela during an important moment in his career. However, the film ultimately feels like it could have offered much more.
Last Routine Captures the Atmosphere of the 1970s
One of the strongest aspects of Last Routine is undoubtedly the way it recreates its time period. The 1970s genuinely feel like the 1970s. This is not only thanks to the costumes and production design, but especially because of the atmosphere surrounding the characters.
The country and the social circumstances in which the story takes place are also given enough attention to give the film its own identity. This makes the historical setting one of the more interesting aspects of Last Routine and ensures that the film is more than just a sports drama about figure skating.
It is an especially interesting period in which to set a story like this. That is why it is somewhat disappointing that the film ultimately focuses on such a relatively small part of Ondrej Nepela's life and career.
A Film Built Around One Major Competition
The story of Last Routine largely revolves around one major competition. On paper, this is a perfectly reasonable premise. After all, an important competition can provide enough tension to carry an entire film.
The problem is that the importance of this particular competition to all the people involved is not always emphasized strongly enough. You understand that there is a lot at stake, but the film does not always make it clear why this specific competition matters so much to everyone involved.
This may well be one of the biggest missed opportunities in Last Routine. By placing more emphasis on the personal stakes and the consequences of the competition, the film could have created considerably more tension.
Where Is the Personal and Emotional Touch?
Although Last Routine clearly attempts to be more than a conventional sports film, something is ultimately missing on an emotional level. The genuine personal touch remains somewhat in the background.
This becomes particularly noticeable when considering the life of Ondrej Nepela. His career and personal story provide plenty of interesting material for a film. Yet Last Routine chooses to focus on only a relatively small part of it.
As a result, you regularly get the feeling that there was more to tell. More about Nepela as a person, more about his career, and perhaps more about the circumstances in which he had to operate as an elite athlete.
The film obviously does not need to cover his entire life, but a little more context could have given its central character considerably more depth.
Adam Kubala as Ondrej Nepela
The lead role of Ondrej Nepela is played by Adam Kubala. Kubala has moments in which he is convincing, but overall he is not always entirely successful in the role.
Part of the casting seems to have been based on his physical resemblance to Nepela. That certainly helps with the character's credibility, but physical resemblance alone is not enough to bring a character completely to life.
The rest of the cast generally leaves a stronger impression. As a result, Kubala occasionally feels somewhat out of place as the film's leading man. Particularly in the more emotional scenes, his performance could have used a little more conviction.
Strong Direction, but Also a Sense of a Missed Opportunity
What ultimately keeps Last Routine together is its direction. The film is well directed and has a clear sense of atmosphere. Throughout the movie, you get the feeling that the director had a much larger story in mind.
That is also what makes the film somewhat frustrating. There are interesting ideas and themes in Last Routine, but not all of them are fully explored. The film regularly gives you a glimpse of a bigger story, only to return to the competition at the center of the narrative.
As a result, Last Routine sometimes feels rather limited in comparison with the subject matter it is trying to explore.
The Pacing of Last Routine
The pacing is not always as strong either. The film manages to hold your attention at certain moments, but it does drag from time to time.
This is largely because the story remains relatively small in scope. When the emotional stakes are not entirely clear, some scenes feel longer than they were probably intended to.
A tighter pace would certainly have helped the film, but stronger personal motivations for the characters could also have made the slower moments more effective.
Last Routine: Atmospheric, but a Missed Opportunity
Last Routine is certainly not a bad film. On the contrary, its strong atmosphere, convincing 1970s setting and fascinating historical background give it plenty to offer.
Still, the overriding feeling is that there was more potential here. Ondrej Nepela's life and career seem interesting enough to support a much richer film. By concentrating primarily on such a small part of his story, Last Routine ultimately remains somewhat superficial.
The film is well directed and works well in terms of atmosphere and period detail. But it lacks that extra bit of personal and emotional power that could have made it truly memorable.
Conclusion
Last Routine does an excellent job of capturing the 1970s and convincingly recreates the world in which Ondrej Nepela lived. Its historical setting is fascinating, while the direction demonstrates that there was clearly more ambition behind the project than simply telling the story of a figure skating competition.
However, that potential is never fully realized. The pacing occasionally drags, the emotional connection remains somewhat limited, and the film only explores a small part of a life and career that undoubtedly contained many more interesting stories. Adam Kubala also does not always fully convince as Nepela.
An atmospheric and competently made film, but ultimately one that leaves you thinking most of all about what more it could have been.
Rating: 6/10
