Long Live the Family! 2011

Libor Pokorný Igor Chmela works in a bank, where a shocking fraud drains a few billion Czech crowns from the institution. As the scale of the crime becomes clear, he realizes that prison time is a real possibility, and the pressure of the situation pushes him to act. To protect his family from the fallout, he persuades his wife Iva Eva Vrbková to take their children on a trip, all while he keeps the looming arrest a secret from them.

The police quickly understand that Libor is on the run, and the hunt closes in. With his family’s safety in mind, Libor tries to stay one step ahead of the authorities, but he is unable to simply walk away from the trouble. He cannot leave the republic because of his daughter’s health, which complicates his attempts to resolve the situation. Throughout this ordeal, he shuttles between evading detection and maintaining a sense of normalcy for his loved ones, choosing to shield them from the truth as much as he can.

On the road to nowhere in particular, Libor reconnects with old friends Lenka Simona Babčáková and Jiří Jiří Vyorálek, who welcome them into their home and offer a moment of respite. The reunion becomes a critical turning point when Libor confides in Jiří about the gravity of his predicament. In a gesture of trust, Jiří agrees to lend Libor his car, a small but crucial aid in Libor’s attempt to escape the tightening net.

As the family continues their fragile journey, Libor asks Iva a piercing question: would she remain faithful to him if he had to leave the family for several years? The moment is heavy, and Iva’s response—or lack thereof—says more than words could. The next day, the trip resumes, and the family still clings to a slim chance of normalcy as they seek safety, with Libor intent on finding a new start in Slovakia.

Their stay at a hotel becomes a flashpoint. There, Iva uncovers the truth behind Libor’s cover, triggering a heated confrontation and a renewed clash with the law. Yet in a tense escape sequence, Libor and his family manage to break away just as the police close in on their hotel refuge. Faced with a choice between the truth and protection, Iva chooses to stay by Libor’s side and helps him slip away, catalyzing a dangerous escape.

The escape ends in a crash: their car collides with a tree, a stark reminder of how far Libor’s decisions have pushed them. In the aftermath, Libor finally admits to his wife that he was involved in the fraud and that his aim had been to prepare his family for an arrest that would otherwise tear them apart. As the danger looms closer, Iva speaks with quiet resolve, answering the question that had haunted them since the start: her life, she reveals, has meaning only with him, no matter the cost.