Everything changed when Soviet tanks rolled into Prague in January 1968. For teenager Libuše Jarcovjáková, the path to art school became steeper as her parents’ background was deemed “unsuitable.” Yet her persistence not only made her a photographer but also eventually opened the doors to education for her.

I’m Not Everything I Want to Be tells Jarcovjáková’s story through her photographs. Skillful direction, editing, and sound design expand the photos beyond their frames, creating a truly cinematic experience. The film also explores significant perspectives on how sexual minorities navigated life on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Special arrangements occasionally allowed travel to the West. During the 1970s, Jarcovjáková spent several months in artist residencies in Japan, where she returned briefly in the 1980s as a fashion photographer. She witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall while living in West Berlin.

I’m Not Everything I Want to Be is a delight for Jarcovjáková’s photographs alone, but director Klára Tasovská’s carefully crafted film captivates in its entirety. The film has toured numerous festivals around the world since its world premiere in Berlinale.

Matti Ylönen (translated by Saarlotta Halme)