Když chcípne pes

The mission of this picture remained secret to me until the end. Was this a psychological study of a typical case of very late afternoon fauna? Maybe, but I didn't think this film was psychological. More like the ultimate construction of a screenwriter who wanted to write the most impressive story possible. Unfortunately, however, this resulted in a literal conversation film, where all important psychological elements are expressed either in words or in an image (the terrible motif of the mother), nothing is left hanging between the actors and the viewer. So all the drama will eventually be tightened by the excellent Štepnička, although his performance does not save some of the replicas. The other actors are hopelessly toiling in TV-flat characters without a hint of logic and persuasion. The highlight of it all comes at the end, which in turn suggests that Drha was filming a sort of custom warning spot against the male transition to of the "First Wives Club after 50". The result? A boring TV production that is so staged that all the psychological subtext takes off and disappears into the distance. (29.02.2004)