CZ

2008

90 min

Finished

René

Directing: Helena Třeštíková

Synopsis

This raw authentic documentary film tells the story of René whose life was being captured on camera since he was seventeen. The camera followed his hopeless journey between prison and brief periods outside the prison walls. In 2008 the film comes to an end, leaving the now 37-year-old René as a sick man who still gets in trouble with the law and who is also the author of two published books. René's story begins in prison under socialist posters, continues through the so-called Velvet Revolution of 1989 and gets a seemingly happy conclusion with the amnesty decree issued by President Václav Havel. Yet René soon heads back to prison and also celebrated our EU accession from behind the bars. During the years spent in prison - sentenced mainly for theft - René had his whole body covered in tattoos, escaped from prison only to be soon recaptured, burgled the director's home, was involved in a couple of romantic relationships, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as well as a high IQ. René displays his outlook on life by flashing his "Fuck of People" tattoo on his neck.

Articles

Playing it unsafe – Helena Třeštíková’s long-term observation
1. 7. 2019

Playing it unsafe – Helena Třeštíková’s long-term observation

CZECH DOCS
With her documentary series Marriage Stories (1987) and films, such as René (2008), Katka (2009) and Private Universe (2011), filmmaker Helena Třeštíková belongs among the major proponents of long-term observation.
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Helena Třeštíková: I have my doubts all the time. That’s a good thing
2. 10. 2018

Helena Třeštíková: I have my doubts all the time. That’s a good thing

CZECH DOCS Interview
Helena Třeštíková is the first Czech director to get a retrospective at the IDFA festival in Amsterdam. Třeštíková is well known for her long-time observations of ordinary people that can sometimes take decades to finish.
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PRODUCER IN PROFILE: Kateřina Černá - Negativ
22. 10. 2017

PRODUCER IN PROFILE: Kateřina Černá - Negativ

CZECH DOCS
PRODUCER IN PROFILE: Kateřina Černá - Negativ Film Productions
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