The Very Late Afternoon of a Faun

When Leoš Suchařípa appeared in Czech films and started "overrr prrronouncing his errr", it always brought a smile to my face. Unfortunately, he was an actor created for appealing supporting roles, and when he stretched his unchanging pose throughout an entire film, repeating stereotypical phrases to the point of exhaustion, or saying something incomprehensible, it became boring. Not even Věra Chytilová, who allowed the supporting female characters to simply roll their eyes, pretend, and above all, overact, could help with that. Maybe I just didn't understand him at all, but The Very Late Afternoon of a Faun didn't give me anything other than a feeling of futility. (07/02/2007)

I have a long-term problem with Věra Chytilová's films - either they seem to me like pseudo-intellectual games or simple moral tales for the masses, and overall, her filmmaking comes across as affected and typically in her "Chytilová" style. Only two films from her filmography truly appealed to me, and those are The Very Late Afternoon of a Faun and The Jester and the Queen. In this film, Chytilová's feminism is clearly evident as she openly mocks the typically male hero - an aging womanizer, hypochondriac, and weakling. Despite Chytilová's exaggeration, her view of the opposite sex has both charm and sarcastic humor. Leoš Suchařípa is the perfect fit for the lead role both in terms of appearance and understanding that this is his chance of a lifetime, and he fully utilizes it. Overall impression: 80%. (17/04/2009)