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. (2007-02-06)

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%. (2009-04-16)

The cautious little bee would still like to sip nectar from young blossoms, but the colorful leaves falling from the treetops mercilessly remind her that the time of decay is approaching, that frailty will be confused with old age, and that love will become futility and illusion. The poor thing realizes she’s actually a drone bee? The stoutness, spherical head with large compound eyes, short proboscis... even the description fits. I usually start losing interest in Chytilová’s films around the halfway mark, but here it happened much earlier, primarily due to stereotypes in both form and content. They were specific, but still stereotypes... "What’s the best way to destroy a person? How? How? How? Ah, I know... You must suggest to them that you love them..." Imagine the word "suggest" being said by Leoš Suchařípa under the influence of tranquilizers. (2023-11-28)