Karlovy Vary 2010: Jirí Vejdelek’s Women in Temptation

The program mentioned that Jirí Vejdelek‘s Women in Temptation (a.k.a Zeny v pokuseni) was the Czech equivalent to Sex and the City, but I think the Czechs who end up seeing the film domestically will know the difference between the real thing and the generic brand. Centering around three generations of women: young girl, her mother, and the grandmother, this examines different storyline. The young girl has a boyfriend, but doesn’t want to commit. The mother is just divorced, and she worries that the advice she gives to couples who come to her for counseling are more harmful than helpful. And the grandmother is this sex crazed woman. The film’s lack of originality isn’t the issue, it’s in the film’s tone where we find most of the problems. If Vejdelek had the touch needed to direct a situational comedy, then this would have been a hilarious romp, instead the timing is terrible, the oh-so-yellow-and-warm cinematography attempts to push buttons for the viewer instead of serving the script. When the mother gets involved with her daughter’s boyfriend, I wished someone like Almodovar was there to fix things.