The subject of this Czech/Slovakian documentary is right there in the title. Jozef Gajdos, the mayor of the small town, Zemplínske Hámre, is fed up with his citizens. Namely, those over 30 who are still single. Don’t they realise Earth will cease to exist if they don’t pair up and start procreating immediately?
At his wits end, as evident by his increasingly hysterical announcements to the town via a PA system, the mayor decides its time to take matters into his own hands. He’s going to organise a singles night to help his town’s people, and those from the neighbouring area, a chance to meet, fall in love and make babies. What could go wrong?
An amazing array of characters come out of the woodwork, in this well-intentioned documentary, to explain why they are indeed, still single. The women seem to be content living with their mothers and going about their daily work, and don’t seem all that fazed about whether they find a man or not. As for the men, one has a newly renovated house and all it’s missing is a wife, and another realises if he’s spent less time working on cars, he might have had more luck settling down. Such sweet people, how could you not want them to find love?! (Especially when one lonely guy shows the Metaxa he purchased in Greece and is planning to drink with his wife…or on his deathbed.)
I love hearing about small towns, European or otherwise. I was completely smitten with Northern Exposure and ever since, have been drawn to film and tv shows about small-town eccentrics. This documentary offered me that and while I wanted the non-reality ending (i.e. everyone finding their soul mate at the singles night and the mayor falling asleep knowing he’d done the right thing), I wasn’t all that surprised when the town’s folk all went home alone.
2 stars!
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