So, what do you believe in? The existence of hell or the devil?
Is the question too naive or too intimate to ask?
Who is willing to give a clear answer?
Havel writes: "The devil is a master of disguise, and is there a cleverer disguise than that which modern unbelief offers him?
The devil's best trick is to convince the world that he does not exist. Yet we are always tempted to compromise with Evil, to come to an agreement with it, or at least to turn our heads away from it, lest we burn ourselves, whether we call Evil the devil, an uncontrollable force, or an ideology that crushes a life lived freely.
Václav Havel was one of the few people who was not afraid to say no to the devil, although he doubted whether he had not at least partly given in to temptation and tried to make a deal with him.
Temptation is the result of these doubts. However, his life was proof that he had passed the test. Not all of us have such courage, such inner strength.
The words of Solzhenitsyn can be an inspiration to us all: "If you cannot resist Evil, at least do nothing to help it."
Unfortunately, even today (and increasingly so) we are confronted with Evil, which is why I believe that there is purpose in premiering Temptation.
Michal Dočekal, director of the production