Toman

Zdeněk Mýtný, a driven and morally compromised theatre director in post-war Czechoslovakia, builds the National Theatre into a celebrated institution through a combination of artistic vision and ruthless political manoeuvring under the Communist regime. His ambitions come at a steep personal cost, as his relationships with colleagues, lovers, and family are strained or destroyed by his single-minded pursuit of power and prestige. The film traces his rise and the human wreckage left in his wake, questioning whether great art can justify the compromises made to achieve it.