Film Forum

Czech Republic, France, 2019
Directed by Jakub Hejna, Helena Třeštíková
Approx. 78 mins. DCP.

This remarkable documentary portrait of Miloš Forman comes from the grande dame of Czech documentary, Helena Třeštíková. A subject of many retrospectives herself (most recently at IDFA in 2018), Třeštíková’s usual filmmaking method is to follow her protagonists over extremely long periods of time (think Michael Apted), which allows her to portray their life to the fullest. With this portrait she enters a different territory, relying on the richness of archival footage and masterful editing from her co-director, Jakub Hejna, her longtime editor. The theme of personal and creative freedom – in Forman’s life and in his films – permeates the documentary, bringing us from his homeland in Czechoslovakia to the US and back to where it all began. It shows the charismatic Forman as the great storyteller he was in person, as well as a film director. The collage of great visuals worthy of the subject and many interviews with Forman completes a commentary adapted from the director’s memoir recorded by one of his sons, Petr Forman, an accomplished theater artist. The film premiered in 2019 at Cannes Film Festival.