SummaryIn protest of the Soviet occupation, Jan Palach, a student of the Charles University's Faculty of Arts, set himself on fire in Prague's Wenceslas Square on the 16th of January 1969, and died four days later. Through the story of the brave defense attorney Dagmar Buresova, who defended Palach's legacy in a doomed lawsuit, the film examines the tra... Read More
Directed By:Agnieszka Holland
Written By:Stepán Hulík
Burning Bush
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
83
User score
Generally Favorable
6.6
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jun 13, 2014
100
In the end, all that can be relied upon are objects and gestures. The littlest things that tie us to each other. The film often slows to a standstill to show children playing, cars passing, people talking and streets emptied of traffic.
Jun 10, 2014
90
Ms. Holland, working from a script by Stepan Hulik, a Czech screenwriter born in 1984, turns a sprawling story into a tight and suspenseful ethical thriller.
Jun 13, 2014
83
Political thriller, procedural, emotional drama and rousing cry for basic human rights and values.
Jun 10, 2014
80
A deluxe multi-character drama that blends real history with semi-fictionalized spy thriller and soap opera elements, Burning Bush feels in places like an extended Czech remake of the Cold War-themed German Oscar-winner The Lives of Others.
Jun 10, 2014
80
Burning Bush is a rare accomplishment. It’s a political film with clear heroes and villains, and true to its HBO roots, it works as a fleet-of-foot juicy plot-delivery system.
Jun 11, 2014
75
On the whole, though, Burning Bush is an absorbing docudrama that maintains a gratifying equilibrium between hope and cynicism. You can fight City Hall. It just takes a while.
Jun 10, 2014
75
The decentralized narrative benefits from the film's original conception as a miniseries, with plenty of time to draw us into the morass that was the communist state.
User score
Generally Favorable
71% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
14% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Mar 12, 2015
7
If only Holland chose a different actress to play the role of Dagmar Buresova, the movie would be flawless. Choosing Slovak sex symbol to the play the lead role was unwise, as actress’s visuals steal attention from intended features that Dagmar Buresova’s character should have displayed to win the hearts of the viewers. Moreover, all the deals, made between Buresova and key political (male) figures, looked like products of former’s attractiveness while they were clearly products of her professionalism. The way the actress presented Buresova’s character was inappropriate, starting from aggressive make up to tight outfit and heels. When female traits are accentuated like that, the character turns into a sexual object and her other qualifications no longer capture viewer’s attention. Furthermore, it all diminished the role of Czech nationalism in the climate of Soviet domination. The choice of cast is critically important if director wants to convey a certain message. The message most viewers probably received this time was that Dagmar Buresova, another hero of Palach’s case, was very sexy lady.
Production Company:
- Etamp Film Production
- Home Box Office (HBO)
- Nutprodukce
Release Date:Jun 11, 2014
Duration:3 h 51 m
Tagline:His sacrifice became her journey
Awards
Czech Lions
• 11 Wins & 14 Nominations
Monte-Carlo TV Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Hong Kong International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
