Czech Dream

Mystification in Czech cinema did not begin with this film, made by the two Prague students Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda. Some forty years ago, another Czech director organised a fake audition for a singer in the famous Prague theatre Semafor. He advertised it all over the city with posters and on the radio. The director was no one less than Milos Forman, and the film was The Audition. Czech Dream roughly follows the advertising campaign for a new, enormous (and fake) supermarket that promises its customers the best products for the best prices. Before our very eyes, the two film makers change into promising young managers in expensive suits who lead us step by step to the grand opening of the fake paradise. They manage to organise a great campaign for this magnificent hypermarket, while simultaneously revealing the consumerism of simple men and the power of media manipulation. All those who fall for the campaign are in for an unpleasant surprise. The fact that this film comes from the Czech Republic does not mean that it deals with a local phenomenon. With a culture of consumption spreading worldwide, this could be happening anywhere. Daring, provocative, and for some highly objectionable, Czech Dream caused quite a stir for politicians and filmgoers alike. (LC)