directed by Erika Hníková, documentary, 72 min, eng subtitles
written by Erika Hníková
with Jozef Gajdo Dana Paseková,Monika Maxová, Jančo Ogurčák
Set against a backdrop of the slow but certain extinction of the eastern Slovak community of Zemplínske Hámre, Matchmaking Mayor investigates the lives of three individuals - Monika, Jančo, and Ďoďo. They are all more or less 35 years old, have no partner and live at their parents´ home. Having adjusted to their life as a single person, they are actually quite content and settled in their stereotypes. And since Internet connections are few and far between in Zemplínske Hámre, they lack even virtual relationships. In this strongly Catholic region, however, being alone and "middle-aged" is often seen as an embarrassment. Thus each of the three has found a substitute for a loving partnership: Monika´s faith in God compensates for being alone; auto mechanic Jančo´s passion is cars and he spends almost all his free time working on them; and Ďoďo hangs out with his buddies at a local pub, pretending to have everything under control. The situation in the village disconcerts the local mayor. As a retired general, he decides to take the fight against solitude at the age of thirty-something into his own hands. Will he succeed with his 21st century social engineering methods in matching up at least one of the single characters portrayed in the film?
The documentary presents two notions of how to live one´s life. The traditional, active lifestyle - as represented by the mayor - draws on Christian values, and the passive, postmodern notion is represented by the protagonists: they are content to be alone and have already gotten used to it.
Awards:
Berlin IFF 2011 (Tagesspiegel Readers' Prize)
Finále Plzeň 2011 (Dagmar Taborska Award for Best Documentary Film by Female Filmmaker under 35)