Shot over the course of 20 years, Helena Třeštíková’s 2008 film René followed the near continuous prison stints of her charismatic subject; these happened in parallel with the colossal political changes that took place in the Czech Republic towards the end of the 20th century. Conceived as a sequel to this milestone work, René: The Prisoner of Freedom is another long-term project which charts not just the dehumanising cycle of incarceration, but also the trappings of accidental fame.
Beginning with scenes showing the jam-packed premiere of the earlier documentary, which turned René into an unlikely celebrity for Czech audiences, Třeštíková’s new film observes how notoriety does not always translate into economic stability. Struggling to make ends meet, René took on various odd jobs, including as a delivery driver – which landed him back in prison for driving without a valid licence. Seemingly untouched by the media storm, René faces these obstacles with the same existential soulfulness that had made him such a compelling subject in the first film. A prolific writer himself, René frequently quotes authors such as Karel Čapek and Albert Camus in reference to his frequent brushes with the law. The myth of Sisyphus – and his unceasing and absurd task of pushing a rock up the mountain – resonates with a man whose every effort to turn his life around goes up in smoke.
While Třeštíková’s earlier film was able to locate René’s life within larger sociopolitical contexts, this sequel, though intimate, is much less rigorous in its investigation of fame – and its seemingly aphrodisiac power over women – still less the director’s own responsibility in creating this media phenomenon. What was once a portrait of a man as well as a nation has now downsized into a much more stylistically and politically moderate affair.
• René: The Prisoner of Freedom is available from 20 October on True Story.
