I seem to be a lone dissenting voice in a chorus of approval. So be it. Whilst it seems clear that there is a strong satirical element at work here I have to confess that my knowledge of the political situation in what used to be called Czechoslovakia is non-existent so that all the barbs eluded me. On the other hand I had little problem with either Closely Observed Trains or The Firemen's Ball, both the work of Czech filmmakers and both satirical attacks on the political situation that prevailed at the time they were made. When I say I had no problem I don't wish to imply that I understood the satire but I do mean that the respective directors had included a sufficient 'entertainment' element to make their films accessible to a non-Czech audience, something which Vera Chytilova has failed to do here - or at least as far as I am concerned. I rented this film on the strength of the favourable reviews I had read and I take no pleasure in disagreeing with the majority but, alas, I can find little if anything to praise.