The Return of Agnieszka H. (2014)

• 71%
• 2014
• Documentary
• Krystyna Krauze
• Jacek Petrycki

A multi-layered film about Agnieszka Holland and her connection to the Czechs. We observe Holland working on the mini-series "Burning Bush" about Jan Palach, a man who set himself on fire in Prague in 1969. At the time of what was one of the most important events in the history of communist Czechoslovakia, Holland was a student of Prague's famous film school, FAMU. This return to her student days will also be a return to subsequent events - her friendships with Czechs during emigration, the Velvet Revolution. The film shows how the experiences of 1966-1971, the years she spent in Czechoslovakia, affected her later life and influenced her filmmaking. We watch fragments of Holland's films and listen to her own narrative as she talks about herself to Jacek Petrycki, her long-time friend. Together they reflect on the youthful ideals they shared, the human need to live free and in truth, important life choices in situations of political pressure, and ordinary, human integrity in totalitarian times.