07/07/2023 - Robert Kirchhoff's latest creative documentary traverses the life and legacy of Alexander Dubček, offering a nuanced exploration of the “icon of socialism with a human face”

Robert Kirchhoff, a respected Slovak documentarian and producer known for his unflinching creative documentaries, most recently the exploration of the Roma Holocaust in A Hole in the Head [+see also:
trailer
interview: Robert Kirchhoff
film profile], has premiered his latest documentary, All Men Become Brothers [+see also:
trailer
film profile], as a Special Screening at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The new work profiles Alexander Dubček, an “icon of socialism with a human face” and a Slovak politician known for his distinctive warm smile, who served as the First Secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. A leader of the 1968 Prague Spring, Dubček is venerated in Slovakia as a symbol of the fight for democracy. Kirchhoff examines the life and influence of this popular communist-era politician.

The film navigates Dubček's life through a series of critical moments, from his formative years in Kyrgyzstan to his untimely death in a car accident in 1992. Kirchhoff blends elements of biopic and essay, journeying through Dubček's life story, meeting individuals who knew or worked with him, such as former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi, and engaging with those who provide context or opinions about the times in which he lived. Rather than leaning heavily on archival footage, Kirchhoff opts to film the majority of his scenes, occasionally drawing on records such as a discussion between Dubček and professor Umberto Eco.

All Men Become Brothers is not your typical documentary portrait. Instead, the film provides an audiovisual discourse that delves into sensitive points in national history and memory. Its unconventional approach may challenge those unfamiliar with Dubček, incorporating moments seemingly unrelated to the central figure. The film upends both the accepted perception of the protagonist and documentary conventions.

Eschewing traditional methods, Kirchhoff opts for capturing spontaneous interactions and mixes in unexpected situations, rather than relying on archival footage and talking-head interviews. He features atypical scenes, such as Czech documentary legend Karel Vachek discussing sex and insects outside Dubček’s house, and behind-the-scenes rehearsals with actors portraying Dubček and Leonid Brezhnev for an as-yet-unrealised project by director Lordan Zafranović. One particularly striking moment is the recording of a non-violent protest led by anti-communist Slovak artivist Peter Kalmus, resulting in rather a slapstick style of knockout – a peculiar scene for a biographical documentary, yet undeniably reflective of the local zeitgeist.

For the doc, filmed over five years, Kirchhoff gathered 200 hours of footage from locations including Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Italy, Václav Havel's Prague apartment and anti-COVID protests in Slovakia. This modern psychogeographic tapestry neither idolises nor condemns Dubček, but rather presents selected aspects of his life, such as his time among utopians, his involvement in the Slovak National Uprising and a critical evening with Václav Havel negotiating his presidential candidacy, as a complex and multi-layered puzzle. All Men Become Brothers stands as a sprawling road movie through history and Dubček's life, courting a little controversy among admirers of “the sympathetic communist”. By exploring the personality beneath the symbol, the film sheds light on Slovakia's history, Dubček's impact on it, and how the young democracy has turned out since the Velvet Revolution 34 years ago. In this regard, the documentary is a historical and current portrayal of a single persona and a whole nation at the same time.

The substantial footage collected has also spawned a spin-off television film, Alexander Dubček – Anatomy of the Jump Into the Void, produced for Radio and Television Slovakia.

All Men Become Brothers was produced by Slovak outfit atelier.doc, Radio and Television Slovakia, and Czech production company Endorfilm.