The brief life and death of Czech student Jan Palach, best remembered for his self-immolation while protesting the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia is presented through
a chronicle of his final moments of existence while dealing with the difficult changes brought on by the Soviet administration of the country, with their constant persecution
on students, repressing protests and with a complete control of the nation through censorship and other critical politics. It's a difficult film but quite informative about
this dark period in Czech history.
We follow Palach (played by Viktor Zavadil) while working on neighbor countries and having to depend on the strict control by the Communist Party in all aspects of life and
work of people. He's obviously dissatisfied with everything he sees and a little before the Soviet invasion he and his colleagues were hopeful about the socialist politicans of
his country who kept promising to make things better but the inevitable takes place and suddenly everybody's under a new repressive regime where freedom is not an option. Yet
Palach and his college mates still keep the fight going on, they assemble and protest but nothing changes. And then came his desperate act of rebellion of which no one could avoid
and no one could turn their eyes off.
This is an interesting movie dealing about a topic that is mostly known by Czech people rather than a world event about the fight against the Communism during the Cold War Era
and it was fascinating to hear about a martyr of a noble cause. Zavadil is a very compelling good actor and he really nailed the exact emotions of someone struggling to accept the
changes in his nation, and gradually we witness his change from someone who was happy at one time, little by little becoming more and more sad and morose with everything and everyone
around him. For those who know little or nothing about the effects of Communism on Europe this is a very informative film to be seen. However, for those like me who know a great deal
of historical facts about the Soviet domination in such countries the movie will sound and look redundant, repetitive, that feeling of I've seen this before and better told will stay
for long periods of time and it'll be one of those things where you just wait for its conclusion because that's how we got acquainted with the man due to his ultimate fate.
And I think the film fails a little because it does not show neither presents through captions the aftermath of Palach's act and how it affected the Czech population at
the time and even today since he is remembered every single year around January, due to his fight, his activism, and the public perception on him is very strong as a martyr who
fought for freedom and his legacy broke out any form of censorship of then Soviet regime, his name echoes all over the European nations that fell under the USSR command. And that's
important, that's historic.
Other than some minor criticisms of mine, the movie works a great deal despite some repetition in acts and sequences. But that's how life felt at the time, there wasn't much
to do something different or to act and think differently than what you're told by the regime. It's a fine movie by all accounts and the lead performance makes the experience quite
enjoyable despite the depressing theme. 6/10.
