Before he became president of the Czech Republic following the Velvet Revolution, Vaclav Havel–playwright, essayist, intellectual–was a leading dissident, repeatedly jailed by the communist government. This extraordinary documentary by Jan and Adam Novak recreates (with irony) a little-known episode in Havel’s rebellious life: the decision to test the limits of the secret police by taking an extended “vacation” to visit his friends across Czechoslovakia. The result is a riveting, often humorous journey into the soul of a brave individual who faces totalitarianism with an open heart.
Jan Novak/Adam Novak—USA—2006—77 mins. In English.
