Best of Fest Encores
How to Watch
This refreshing, humorous, warts and all creative biopic doesn’t let pesky facts get in the way of a good story. Director Slávek Horák (Home Care) takes artistic license with certain details of history to stress the irony and absurdity of Václav Havel’s metamorphosis from celebrated playwright to banned and jailed human rights activist to eventual President of Czechoslovakia.
Concentrating more on Havel’s personal evolution (here prodded by the many women in his life) and various emotional truths, this vibrant dramedy doesn’t shy from depicting the great man’s weaknesses but it also shows him as generous and modest, an entertaining, talented writer who ultimately steps out of his comfort zone to become politically engaged. While some viewers may take issue with the elisions and composites of Horák’s approach, others will be inspired once again by Havel’s courageous battle against oppression and the sacrifices he made. (Alissa Simon)
Director Biography
Born in 1975 in Zlín, Czechoslovakia Slávek Horák was educated at the Zlin Film School and studied directing at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He is the director of the short films “Two Little Wings” (2004) and “Deja Vu” (2005) and the feature Home Care (Domácí péce) (2015).
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