Burning Bush

Based on real characters and events, Burning Bush focuses on the personal sacrifice of Jan Palach, a Prague history student who set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square in protest against the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1969, and on the aftermath of that tragedy. Praised for its writing, directing, acting, and cinematography, which incorporates documentary footage, this suspenseful ethical thriller takes us to a moment in history that Holland herself experienced while studying at the Prague film school. She “displays a singular feeling for the material, not only for having lived through the period, but also because it aligns with a key focus in her work: the question of human morality and how it withstands a fraught situation” (Alissa Simon, Variety). “Holland [is] in masterful form . . . long on narrative power, emotional conviction, and moral responsibility” (Stuart Klawans, The Nation).