Mečiar

The voice over, as well as Nvotová's need to unnecessarily parade herself in front of the camera, exactly in the style of those childhood games of hers we get a taste of in the documentary, are absolutely awful, not so much in their essence, given that a portrayal of the disillusioning impact of the course of the turbulent 1990s on one free-spirited family could have been quite thought-provoking, but mostly by the way the film haphazardly utilizes them, just as padding between thematic and chronological shifts. As an informative documentary, though, Mečiar works very well, not glossing over its subject too much, not spending more time on individual aspects of his regime than necessary, and not leaving out anything crucial. Moreover, in this abbreviated form, it is fascinating to see how people fall for the same types of leaders over and over again because they need their idols, their daddies, people who will be strong for them and solve their problems for them. Just notice how much people like Mečiar, Fico, Trump, Putin, Okamura, Nixon, and Mussolini have in common in their speeches and methods. Yup, they’re all tough guys. (11.06.2018)