Women In Temptation (Vejdelek, 2010): Czech Republic

Reviewed by Larry Gleeson. Viewed on January 31, 2010 at the Metro 4 Theatre, 10:10 P.M., at  the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2011.

Women In Temptation, a comedy from the Czech Republic that out grossed “Avatar” at the Czech box office, was a delight to watch. Vilma, a marriage counselor, played by ElizaBalzerova,  discovers her husband with another woman in the throes of passion in what was to be a surprise birthday celebration. Devastated she divorces her husband and begins the single life.

I felt the opening sound score effectively set the tone for the film. Jan P. Muchow was credited with the music. The music had an upbeat tempo with what seemed to be  metronomes. I also found the convention of Vilma counseling herself very fresh. The effect helps to set the film apart. Very creative and carried out very well.

The film follows the relationships of three generations of women – mother, daughter and grandmother – deal with each other and with life. Vejdelek does a nice job weaving sex in and out of the story line. The grandmother, Helena, played by Lenka Vlasakova,  is portrayed as a player throughout her highly sexed life. She kept  journals which had the look of the journals of the legendary Don Juan. Age and uterine cancer couldn’t keep her from celebrating life and her sexuality.

The daughter Laura, played by Veronika Kubarova, leads a counterculture activist lifestyle. She too enjoys sex but has issues with commitment. After Laura’s mother has separated from her husband, Laura’s father, a rather vocal erotic scene of passion between Laura and her on again off again boyfriend Jakub, played by Vojtek Dyk occurs in the room next to Vilma’s. Vilma is seen in her bed with a distant look in her eye. Laura playfully reminds Jakub that her mother is without a man and suggestively asks Jakub to keep it down. Jakup responds by letting Laura know that he really enjoys their sex. The two then decide to hook Vilma up but without any real success.

All three women eminate sexual energy and Laura and Helena take Vilma out to lunch for a little matchmaking. The results while funny, leave Vilma feeling as though she is doomed to become an old maid.Vilma’s libido seems a little repressed.

The cards change as Laura goes camping with Jakub’s friend who came onto Vilma way to strong when Jakub invited him to meet Vilma. The friend met Laura first and the sparks of attraction flew.While Laura is exploring her new connection Jakub and Vilma are drawing close. Over a couple glasses of wine Vilma’s welled up dam of desire bursts majestically as Jakub’s sexual compassion collides with Vilma’s yearning for a physical human connection. Their romp, however, creates a rift in the family. Much like Vilma growing up in the shadow of her mother’s womanly charms, Laura now feels displaced. Helena counsels Vilma from her experience in dealing with Vilma.

The film ends with a slight variation of Laura counseling herslf when Helena counsels Vilma from the open casket – getting the last word in edgewise.

I understand the oft comparison to the US “Sex  In The City.” Vejdelek story, however, is about much more than sex in Czech.

Wholeheartedly recommended.