PopGap #28: Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (1966)

Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (a.k.a. Kdo chce zabít Jessii?) is a fun, goofy, but minor Czech New Wave comedy about a married couple, both scientists, whose different projects for the bureaucratic state get out of their control. She is re-engineering troublesome dreams; he is looking to comic books for inspiration in developing anti-gravity gloves. There are some good jokes, and the insertion of comic book characters into the real word is done with appealing cheek and style. There's some minor political commentary — the sci-fi trope of the unintended consequences of crossing ethical barriers has added resonance when set within an authoritarian system — but the overall tone is so fluffy that it's barely chilling even when officials try to dispose of an inconvenient agitator via oven. the primary focus is a breezy ribbing of sexual politics, which is pretty smart and wry. Who Wants to Kill Jessie? is short — barely 80 minutes — and never overstays its welcome.

Who Wants to Kill Jessie? was brought to my Potluck Film Fest by Flickcharter Rachel Gilbert, who can be found on Flickchart under the username figureitout. She ranks it on her chart at #128 / 1539 (92%), making it her 4th favorite Sci-Fi Comedy out of 30. Who Wants to Kill Jessie? ranked on my Flickchart at #1304 (66%), putting it at #12 out of 51 Sci-Fi Comedies.