by Joseph Davis, Contributing Writer
We’ve already discussed my fascination with history in films, so there’s no need to review that aspect of why I look for movies to watch. However, there are some parts of history that I often find myself ignorant about, and when that happens, I know there’s a decent chance I’m far from the only person. This is the territory I found myself in when I first learned of the 2018 Czech film, Toman. Set in the period after the liberation of Czechoslovakia from 1945 to 1948, this movie presented a unique combination between both history and for film: to see a depiction of a country rebuilding itself from occupation and war from behind the iron curtain, the aftermath of one of the worst atrocities against a singular group of people from this part of Europe, and the story of a man caught in the middle of it. While it’s available for rent on Amazon, I decided to give this movie a watch through the Tubi app, and see if it’s something worth bringing to a wider US audience.
[Before I dive into my thoughts, I do want to make it known that this movie may have content that’s not suitable for everyone. There are things depicted such as sexual assault and suicide that could be triggering. Please take discretion if you decide to watch this film.]
What intrigues me the most about this film is the time and events surrounding it. When it comes to teaching about the events of World War 2 in Europe here in the States, a lot of discussion is on events in France and west Germany up until about 1945 before the Cold War hits. What’s not discussed a lot are the events in places such as Czechoslovakia or eastern Europe. To see a depiction of the Czech government rebuilding itself and the rise of communism in the country is something that fascinated me and I feel is done really well in this movie. You can see the political wheeling and dealing done by members of the Czech Communist Party that helped lead to the events of the 1948 Coup in the country. It’s also interesting to see how Zdenek Toman influenced these events willingly, but at his own personal cost. This also gives an idea of how the Soviet Union helped influence events in the countries under their sphere of influence, both in shaping politics and in how they decide who will be a part of the country’s government to a degree, especially as they try to find a way to remove Toman from the party’s hierarchy. For this aspect alone, along with something else I want to discuss, this movie falls into the recommendation for me, if only to allow for any viewers to have an idea of the political shifts at play in the time period. Granted, there are moments that do feel like they are unnecessary or that don’t sit within the story right, but this doesn’t overshadow how this film should inspire you to dig into history so we can learn from mistakes of our past.
OK, there’s no beating around the bush any longer for this one. One of the most horrifying events of the Second World War was the Holocaust, the systemic and deliberate state sanctioned murder of millions of Jews, Romani, those who were LGBTQ, and other “undesirables” by Nazi Germany and its allies. Again, the events after the end of the war in Europe are often overlooked in American teachings, with a gap between the end of the war and the rise of Israel in 1948. While this focuses specifically on the Jewish people of Europe, it is still a story that needs more eyes in America on it. I was surprised by how completely unaware I was of organizations from the United States who actively worked to help the survivors of the Holocaust to reconnect with relatives and to move and effectively escape from eastern Europe in the aftermath of the war. This also proves impactful as Toman and his wife are both Jewish, both of whom with relatives and loved ones who were directly impacted by the Holocaust, which greatly builds on their characters. To see this, a crucial aspect of history that I legitimately was weak and unaware of, is a huge aspect of this movie, and is another reason I would say you should watch this film.
The final thing I want to discuss in this film is of the main character himself: Toman. This character and this man is not a protagonist, but he’s not an antagonist… I’d even struggle to call him an antihero, though this term may be the only one which fits. On the one hand, here is a man who is using his position for financial gain, comes off as unfaithful to his wife, and I feel is shown to be a direct reason as to why communism arose in Czechoslovakia in the first place. However, it is just as undeniable that his actions as shown helped to build Israel into what it is today, and likely lead to hundreds being able to escape Soviet rule. The fact that his wife and even his sister get caught up in a lot of this, in the latter case purely by his own doing, makes this character probably the most controversial and complex I’ve come across in film. It makes the movie a bit more confusing in ways, but I like the way it blurs the line between hero and villain with Toman, compared to some of the other characters both in this movie and in this series definitely has a huge impact on how I see this film, for better or worse.
In the end, Toman is a film that I would say succeeds in its purpose and I feel is quite good. However, I’d say it’s a film for if you’re looking for something complex, and not one to watch if you want a clear answer or clear instances of who is good and who is bad. One description I read was that this was a story about “The Czech Schindler” on IMDb, but I don’t think this is quite right. In Schindler’s List, you can tell that Schindler is ultimately going to be the hero, in a heartbreaking good versus evil type of bout, but in this movie you don’t have that. The only real protagonists in this movie are the ones who are hurt along the way. If you approach this movie as a heartbreaking tale with no clear winner, this movie will hit you right where it needs to.
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