Jan Palach (2018)

From Czech and Slovak Film Festival WA:

"Jan Palach"

Synopsis

What happened in the year 1968 in Czechoslovakia? What preceded the invasion of the Soviet army and how did Czechoslovak society respond? What was the motivation and the circumstances of this deliberate act of Palach? And who was Jan Palach, was he just a student who wanted to study history or was he intent on becoming a part of history instead? The movie, directed by Robert Sedlacek, provides you with answers to those important questions and takes you into those turbulent and exciting times of the so-called “Prague Spring“ followed by the cruel sobering represented by the Soviet invasion. The movie describes the events leading the nation to the dark decades of Czechoslovak history as well as Palach’s journey to his ultimate sacrifice. It is a delicate drama about an uncompromising young man who has brought the ultimate sacrifice in the desire to stir the nation out of occupational lethargy. Jan Palach, the name that everyone knows. The film tells the story of the last few months of Palach’s life, showing how a loving son, a devoted friend and sensitive, thoughtful student of philosophy became the “torch number one”. The disturbing final act of a young man‘s self-immolation at a political protest is brutally thought provoking. Jan Palach’s act will never be forgotten and this sacrifice must always remind us of where hopelessness in any Totality Regime can take us.

About the Film

Director: Robert Sedláček

Screenwriter: Eva Kantůrková

Cast: Viktor Zavadil, Zuzana Bydžovská, Denisa Barešová, Kristína Kanátová, Jan Vondráček, Michal Balcar, Karel Jirák, Gérard Robert Gratadour, Simone Hrášková, Patrik Paušo, Ivan Sochor, Tomáš Havlínek

^ I have seen "Burning Bush" and liked it and would really like to see this movie too. I just can't seem to find it anywhere. ^

https://www.csfilmfestwa.org/films-2018/jan-palach/