Petr Vachler – producer, director, screenwriter, production designer

 

“Let’s imagine that you lose your car and you think that someone has stolen it. A feeling of sadness, misfortune, you maybe even shed a few tears? But then you ultimately find it in a confusing parking lot or on a side street. Now you feel relief and happiness, at least until your car finally gets all rusty and falls apart. And then I ask what joy one must feel when he finds himself? That’s why today I say that it is more important to find myself than to find a forgotten car in an expansive parking lot or on a side street, even though both are very important. The film The Meaning and Mystery of Life is also about this.“

Filming dozens of hours of material with personalities from all corners of the earth was fantastic work. Seeking the answers to questions delving into the meaning of life and of fear, love, and death with so many crusaders and respondents was an immense joy, and making such a film is a gift of a lifetime”, says Petr Vachler.… MORE HERE

Petr Vachler
cmelak hlavní hrdina

Bumblebee

 

„So you wanted to see me, and you have always asked how come I can fly with this fat…“

When we yearn for someone to share with us the deepest truth, we want it to be our parents, our loved ones, friends, mythical beings, talking animals, or just a voice. Many of us may imagine a different form of godhood. And then some people manifest, for example, a bumblebee.

Jan Budař – Max

 

„Look, imagine that matter is mostly composed of empty space, meaning that we could theoretically pass through a wall…“

There are people who search for the truth their whole life and may not be prepared for it yet. They might not be at the right place at the right time and in the right state. They find out that not everything in the world is so dogmatic, so immutable, and academically definitive. Life offers Max unexpected relationships, loves, and mystical twists.

Jan Budař
Barbora Seidlová

Barbora Seidlová – Eva

 

„I am, for example, also afraid to meet someone…“

Do we burn bridges? Do we no longer want to see a whole number of people, friends? Are we afraid of meeting people? Do we hate the ones we have spent our whole lives with? Are we capable of breaking up families, and destroying friendships, for insignificant reasons? How strong do we have to be to forgive one another and ourselves? Are we able to?

Josef Polášek – Robert

 

„As a doctor, I shouldn’t recommend this…“

Being educated does not equal being wise. The roles that we play offer us opportunities that we may or may not use. Merely collecting information might not be enough to understand the meaning of life.

cmelak hlavní hrdina
Andrea Kerestešová

Andrea Kerestešová – Viky

 

„I am sorry. I truly loved him and I had no idea what it would cause…“

How many people have we loved in our life, and how many more are we going to? Are we alone even when we are surrounded by our closest ones? Does everything has to be how we want it, and is our truth the most important one? How do we come to terms with the fact that our closest people lie to us, and we lie to them in turn?

Vladimír Javorský – Homeless man

 

„I might be sleeping under a bridge, but otherwise, I’m healthy….“

Everything in life is merely lent to us for a limited time. It is up to us what we do with it. Even our body is on loan and he who doesn´t realize it will suffer his whole life. There are people, however, who can play their role with perfection. Even those at the very bottom.

Vladimír Javorský
Petr Buchta

Petr Buchta – Jirka

 

„Hey, you ´haven’t ever really heard me! You allowed it for me to be this way, but it wasn’t the solution…“

It is the desire of all of us to learn a lot while we´re here, and inactivity leads to boredom and later depression. If our life is empty, we end up experiencing even feelings of despair and distaste for life. Nevertheless, everything is right so that we can discover what we wanted to discover. Every step moves us forward, even towards seemingly a failure.

Theodor Vachler – Petr

 

„Dad, tell us that you won’t leave us?“

For the majority of their lives, children see us as beings who know everything. They trust us boundlessly. We are their models, their support. When we realize that children have the same opportunities as us, it completely changes our outlook on life and children themselves, and we become one.

Theodor Vachler
Aneta Krejčíková

Aneta Krejčíková – Helena

 

„So that’s your entire upbringing?“

Sometimes we truly only think of ourselves, no matter what. And the blame? The blame permanently lies with others. We do not realize at all that what we dislike about others is our own problems, our own shortcomings. In reality, we are only angry with ourselves and cheat only ourselves.

Valerie Vachlerová –  Vanda, music composer

 

„It was this large space…“

Before children come to this world, they know and remember much and remain in touch with their godhood even after birth. If they can keep it is a question of upbringing, environment, and the courage of others to accept this gift of connection. Soon afterward, children find out that here it´s only…

Valerie Vachlerová
Viliam_Vachler

Viliam Vachler –  Hugo

 

„Dad, what is the highest education on the planet?“

Children´s souls are pure; they trust us and gather the experience of their ancestors, mirror themselves in us. And sometimes, when we explain to them how everything on this planet works, they surprise us with their response because they sometimes know and remember much more than us.

Robert Jašków – Karel (gamekeeper)

 

„I mean, strike me down if I’m lying…“

We want to get to know each other in every way, even sexually, but every intimate relationship has consequences. It is up to us what choices we make and how many flames at once we can try to keep burning without letting them die. And if we do take this test, we do our best not to hurt others.

Robert Jaskow
Hanus Bor

Hanuš Bor – miller

 

„How much…?“

Sometimes we look at everything in terms of money, even relationships. But God and life must come first. Money will then follow. But if it is me who is controlled by the money and not I who controls it, then greed will become my hell. Not everything in life has to have a price tag.

CREDITS

Producer Petr Vachler
Director Petr Vachler
Screenplay Petr Vachler
   
DOP Karel Fairaisl
Editor Petr Svoboda
Music Valerie Vachlerová
Sound Petr Kuba
Make-up & Hair Designer Dana Kohoutová
Costume Designer Zuzana Kárová, Simona Krompholc
Production Designer Petr Vachler
VFX supervisor  Tomáš Gaisler
3D Animation supervisor Martin Šafus
  Dan Stanchev
  Marek Náprstek
Executive producer Aleš Týbl
Co-producer Karel Janeček
Co-producer Ctirad Hemelík
   
Max  Jan Budař
Robert Josef Polášek
Eva  Bára Seidlová
Viki Andrea Kerestéšová Ružičková
Helena Aneta Krejčíková
Karel (hunter) Robert Jašków
Jiří  Petr Buchta
Homeless Vladimír Javorský
Vanda  Valerie Vachlerová
Hugo Viliam Vachler
Petr Theodor Vachler
Miller Hanuš Bor
Parson Petr Stach
Dealer Pavel Šmerda
Undertaker Jiří Andrle
Undertaker ‘s mistress Bára Mošnová
Mirek (hunter) Lukáš Pavlásek
Altar boy 1 Víťa Nádvorník
Altar boy 2 Antonín Nádvorník
   
Bumblebee voice actor – Czech Dalimil Klapka
Bumblebee voice actor – English Peter Hosting
Bumblebee created by Robin Beneš
  Petr Vachler
   
Interviewees Shaykha Amat-un-Nur
  Brandon Bays
  Vincent Bridges
  Dannion Brinkley
  Rinaldo Brutoco
  Lorna_Byrne
  Carl Johan Calleman
  Ricardo Cervantes Cervantes
  Adjan Chaiwood
  Peter Chappell
  Deepak Chopra
  Andreas Clauss
  Kiesha Crowther
  James A. Cusumano
  Ruediger Dahlke
  Erich Anton Paul von Däniken
  Emahó
  Masaru Emoto
  Sandra Epstein
  Jorge N. Ferrer, Ph.D
  Amit Goswami
  Charles Grob
  Stanislav Grof
  Lino be Guinsada
  John Hawken
  Octavio Rettig Hinojosa
  James Humble
  Desiree Hurtak
  James Joachim Hurtak
  David Vaughan Icke
  Ana Auntie Kapihe
  Mabel Katz
  Konstantin Korotkov
  Lui Krieg
  Ervin László
  Sergei Lazarev
  Ihaleakala Hew Len
  Eduardo Luna
  Paramhans Swami Maheswarananda
  Roy Martina
  Lynne McTaggart
  Dan Millman
  Tim Mitchell
  Henri Monfort
  Anisia Semizool Mongush
  Raymond Moody
  Tim Wallace Murphy
  Cacique Ninawa
  Silvano Paolucci
  Eric Pearl
  Srikumar Rao
  Jan Rak
  Don Miguel Ruiz
  Lance Secretan
  David Steindl-Rast
  Swami Vishwananda
  Jenny Wade
   
2nd DOP Petr Hojda
2nd DOP Miloš Kohout
Asistent Production Manager Miloš Kohout
Script consultant Jan Stehlík
Production Manager Michaela Šveňková
AD Žaneta Tomášková
Production Assistant Bohuslava Šašmová
AD Jiří Andrle
DOP asist. Jaroslav Kostelník
Focus Puller Ondřej Kos
On-set Photographer Tomáš Kostěnec
DOP – Interviews Tomáš Kostěnec,
  Ondřej Urbanec
  Radim Paluš
Continuity Zuzana Víznerová
  Titti Fügediová
Video operater David Vacek
Prop Master Pavel Chalupa
Assistant Prop Master Martin Haleš
Stand-by Propman 1 Michal Haleš
Stand-by Propman 2 Patrik Semft
Stand-by Propman Roman
Young Bumblebee voice actor Viliam Vachler
   
Key Grip Robert Koděra
Grip Michal Ráliš
Gaffer Jiří Navrátil
Best boy Tibor Demčák
Eletrician Igor Murčo
  Pavel Filip
   
Genny Operator / Eletrician Pavel Hoffman
DIT Lukáš Pospíšil
Sound Recordist Marek Musil
Boom Operator Adam Bezděk
Key Costumer Andrea Figerová
Costume Assistant Martina Boušová
Make-up & Hair Artist Radka Vávrová
   
Location Manager Lukáš Bech
Construction Manager Roman Bandas
Production Runner Martin Kopecký
Stunt Coordinator Jiří Kuba
Data management Martin Dobrovolný
Set Decorator  Roman Bandas
Construction  Marek Funda
  Michal Ptáček
   
Security, BaseCamp Martin Rambousek
Driver Milan Hampl
  Josef Šveněk
  David Suchánek
  Dan Sadílek
Driver for actors Kateřina Velková
   
Hlavní postprodukce – Studio Pokrok  
Production Manager Lubo Procházka
  Lukáš Borovička
Post-production Manager Simona Jánská
  Stanislava Turková
Assistant Editor Martin Dobrovolný
  Jakub Helis
   
Color grading Tomáš Gaisler
Visual Effects Artists 3D Jan Moštěk
  Tomáš Studnička
  Jaroslav Zajíček
  Jonathan Alonso
  Michal Honc
  Tomáš Novotný
  Gabriela Procházková
  Jan Smrž
  Andrej Otepka
  Travis Work
  Jakub Strauss
  Jan Krejčíř
Character modeling Jan Blín
Senior matte painter Michal Čavoj
  Antonín Kolman
Senior compositor 2D Miroslav Čičmanec
  Martin Čičmanec
  Ondřej Lev
  Ondřej Nečas
2D compositor Peter Palárik
Data manager Michal Moc
  Matěj Kořenský
3D  Dalibor Cee
Senior 3D animator Ladislav Rejkuba
  Dan Stanchev
3D animator Richard Jirsák
  Jakub Sporek
3D animation supervisor Marek Náprstek
Animation supervisor Martin Šafus
   
IT Support Milan Machač
Production accountant Marcela Kadlecová
   
Website design Matěj Kořenský
   
Social media and marketing Šimon Bárta
  Sandra Žigič
Sound assistent Michal Kloss
English version Myles Claffey
Foley artists  Adelina Stehlíková
  Dominika Juhásová
Sound design Ben Radosta
Mix assistant Jan Kohout
   
Technical support Petr Samek
  Tomáš Jarolím
Spolupráce: postprodukce Mirage  
Producer Petr Král
Executive Producer Barbora Svozilová
Data handling Martin Kosina
   
3D visual artists Zbyňek Kysela
  Veronika Mašková
  Petr Král ml.
Compositor Vincent Badia
  Robin Mikuláš
   
   
Spolupráce: postprodukce MagicLAB  
   
Extras casting DeeDee Agency
   
Special thanks: Pavel Eiselt
  Martin Hájek
  Alena Ebrecht
  Zdeněk Říčař

Copyrighted Song Credit

“True Face”

Written by Valerie Vachlerová;

Performed by VALI; Courtesy of VALI ©

“Paradise”

Written by Valerie Vachlerová;

Performed by VALI; Courtesy of VALI ©

“Jesus Sandals”

Written by Theodor Vachler;

Performed by THE-O; Courtesy of THE-O ©

“Rodeo”

Written by Theodor Vachler;

Performed by THE-O; Courtesy of THE-O ©

“Mauglí”

Written by Theodor Vachler;

Performed by THE-O; Courtesy of THE-O ©

©

VAC – Vachler Art Company

Copyright © 2022 The Meaning and Mystery of Life