Burning Bush

Showered with awards, in this mini-series Agnieszka Holland returns to a well-known setting. The graduate of Prague's FAMU goes back to one of the most expressive episodes of Czechoslovakia's post-war history – the self-immolation of Jan Palach. In Burning Bush, however, the director is not interested as much in the radical gesture itself as in its political and ethical consequences for society. The main axis of the plot is a conflict between guardians of Palach’s memory, i.e., his family and the opposition milieu backing them, and the communist Novým, who is trying to discredit the young rebel. Holland shows this uneven duel in a subdued manner and devoid of exaltation. At the same time, she emphasizes its symbolic dimension and proves that some failures may prove an introduction to great victories in the long term. After all, the struggle for Palach's good name shown in the Burning Bush is nothing more than a demonstration of the „power of the powerless,” which will ultimately allow Czechoslovak citizens to cast off the communist yoke.