I, Olga

I can't help but feel that more could have been extracted from this film. After a long time, this was a Czech film I was genuinely looking forward to, but the result is a black-and-white spectacle that falls short in its portrayal of Olga Hepnarová. It's as if there is no build up. That's where the trailer was much better. And not even the last few seconds can save it. Not to mention, I sorely missed the motivation here. Was it just in her head, or was she really mistreated? It's only implied. Hinted at too sparingly... (09/01/2017)

In the first half, which focuses on Hepnarová’s permanent depression and homosexuality, I’d have emphasized the reasons why she felt so wronged by the people around her. That is not clear enough from the film and when viewers don’t know the historical details, it only dawns on them after the tragedy, during her talk with her attorney (Juraj Nvota). Everything else is great, however – the period atmosphere, black and white visuals, coolness and detachedness of the narrative expressing the world inside Hepnarová’s head. And a truly amazing Michalina Olszanska in the leading role! P.S.: What part of the budget went to cigarettes? I wouldn’t want to see this in 4DX! (11/04/2016)

Many things bothered me. Every other "art like" scene lasted dozens of seconds longer, without being justified by saying anything new. Postsynchronisation, which is high above the domestic "standard", but especially in emotionally tense scenes, it will strike you, as the voiceover artist is not on the same page as the main hero. That the victims aren't even mentioned by name or that the move creators decided to play it safe following to successful examples (yes, in many ways it follows in Ida's footsteps)… Well, there would be a lot to comment on. Nevertheless, the authors got under my skin. It has an excellent subliminal tension of a la Capote/ Brooks classic, an almost unseen fact in our film industry, where the authors do not need to say everything in words as in a radio play, several infinitely strong scenes (led by a discussion with a lawyer), overall ambivalence leaving many purely on to the viewer and especially to the excellent Olszańska that excels even in some weaker scenes. (29/03/2016)

Olga Hepnarová and the madness of the human mind in the hardest form. Michalina Olszańska played it so convincingly and intensely that I think I will never forget her recitation of Olga’s letters. The creators took an incredibly difficult story and did an excellent job with it. The consciously black and white camera combined with the atmosphere of the seventies perfectly describes the incompetence of the time to solve anything and so Olga keeps relying on herself, her inner self and her thoughts and we, as the audience, have the chance to observe it and think about what’s going on in her head. In the end we, as the audience, are not able to solve it, but I feel that with this kind of personality even a renowned psychiatrist would have his or her hands full. Nevertheless, it was interesting to watch that kind of character for two hours. And in connection with some scenes that I will probably never forget I think that this film couldn’t have been done in a better way. I am really glad that this cooperation between the Czechs and Poles worked well. And now I am curious how long it will take before someone tries to make a film about Milada Horáková or the Mašín brothers… (23/03/2016)

This was obviously an art film. I made this shrewd observation based on the fact that it’s in black and white and features nudity and lesbian sex in more than small amounts. If it hadn't been for the courtroom and prison scenes at the end, I would have given it only one star. All the wrongs that the title character complains about would have been reduced to getting kicked in the shower once. Other than that, the filmmakers focused on shooting a large number of oddly lifeless scenes that made it look like my screen froze. Plus, most of the individual scenes were disconnected, which may seem artistic, but also empty. I didn't learn anything about Olga Hepnarová that I hadn't already known. (23/08/2016)