Czech Oscar Entry "I'm Not Everything I Want to Be" Gets Lost in Its Own Creative Spirit
Klára Tasovská's 2026 Czech Oscar entry "I'm Not Everything I Want to Be" is a rare documentary that delves deep into the creative world of queer Czech photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková. By incorporating her own photographs and journals, Tasovská co-authors the film with Jarcovjáková, blurring the lines between documentary and art.
The resulting photomosaic mimics movement through successive shots, creating a soundscape of time and place that immerses the viewer in Jarcovjáková's striking black-and-white photography. As she travels from Czechoslovakia to Japan and West Berlin, her images capture moments of love, rejection, and self-discovery.
Despite its intriguing title, which translates to "I'm Not Yet Who I Want to Be," the documentary often feels like a diary of not just self-image, but of personal and artistic process. Jarcovjáková's photographs are stark and intimate, revealing people through overexposed skin as much as hiding them in shadow.
However, the film's approach can be overwhelming at times, charging forward at breakneck speed without allowing for much reflection or analysis. The viewer is often left to piece together the meaning behind Jarcovjáková's imagery, which sometimes feels like it's being pulled away from them.
Despite this, there are moments of liberation and belonging that shine through, particularly in the film's use of color and strobing effects to capture Prague's queer nightlife. These moments are fleeting but powerful, making the viewer feel like they're experiencing a fragment of Jarcovjáková's world firsthand.
Ultimately, "I'm Not Everything I Want to Be" is a commendable attempt at blending documentary and art, yielding remarkable results in some scenes. However, its frenetic pace can leave it feeling unsatisfying at times, as if it's trying too hard to cohere into something cohesive.
Klára Tasovská's 2026 Czech Oscar entry "I'm Not Everything I Want to Be" is a rare documentary that delves deep into the creative world of queer Czech photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková. By incorporating her own photographs and journals, Tasovská co-authors the film with Jarcovjáková, blurring the lines between documentary and art.
The resulting photomosaic mimics movement through successive shots, creating a soundscape of time and place that immerses the viewer in Jarcovjáková's striking black-and-white photography. As she travels from Czechoslovakia to Japan and West Berlin, her images capture moments of love, rejection, and self-discovery.
Despite its intriguing title, which translates to "I'm Not Yet Who I Want to Be," the documentary often feels like a diary of not just self-image, but of personal and artistic process. Jarcovjáková's photographs are stark and intimate, revealing people through overexposed skin as much as hiding them in shadow.
However, the film's approach can be overwhelming at times, charging forward at breakneck speed without allowing for much reflection or analysis. The viewer is often left to piece together the meaning behind Jarcovjáková's imagery, which sometimes feels like it's being pulled away from them.
Despite this, there are moments of liberation and belonging that shine through, particularly in the film's use of color and strobing effects to capture Prague's queer nightlife. These moments are fleeting but powerful, making the viewer feel like they're experiencing a fragment of Jarcovjáková's world firsthand.
Ultimately, "I'm Not Everything I Want to Be" is a commendable attempt at blending documentary and art, yielding remarkable results in some scenes. However, its frenetic pace can leave it feeling unsatisfying at times, as if it's trying too hard to cohere into something cohesive.
It's like, I get that it's trying to capture a lot of emotions and experiences, but honestly, I think it'd be really cool if it took a breather every now and then 
Just feel me? The color scenes in Prague are EVERYTHING though 
They're so vivid and alive! But yeah, some parts of it can feel like it's just flying by without you getting to really grasp what's going on 
personally, i'd love to see a more measured approach that lets the viewer really absorb what's being shown. some of the color scenes in prague's queer nightlife are stunning tho 
...i mean, i love how they're pushing boundaries with this doco, but sometimes it feels like it's losing its way in all the noise 
i love that they incorporated libuše's journals and photos though - it adds such depth to the documentary 
what really stood out to me was those moments of liberation in prague's queer nightlife 
color and strobing effects can be so captivating, and it's great that they were able to capture that energy on film 
also i love how the film blends photography and journals to create this photomosaic effect 
it's like a visual diary that you're right there with her in.
and I loved how it wasn't just about her life but also about her art process. But at the same time, sometimes I felt like I needed a few minutes to breathe 
because the pace was so fast and there wasn't enough room for reflection or thinking about what you'd just seen. It's like they were trying to show everything at once 
.
. You need some time to breathe and process what's happening on screen, especially when Jarcovjáková's life story is as complex as it is intriguing 
. Still, those moments of liberation and color are pure magic 
. And don't get me wrong, Libuše Jarcovjáková's photography is amazing, but I wish the filmmakers had taken a step back to let it breathe, you know? It's like they're trying to force this sense of liberation and belonging on the viewer 
?
And those strobing effects in Prague's queer nightlife? 
the use of color in prague's queer nightlife scenes is literally my fave part 
Klára Tasovská & Libuše Jarcovjáková are def tryna create somethin' revolutionary here but at times it feels like they're runnin' w/ their mouths open 
Like, I get that we need to see these powerful queer images but do we really need the soundscape too? 
And what's up w/ all these rapid cuts? Can't we just take a sec to soak it in? 
Still, there r moments of pure magic like when Jarcovjáková's photography comes alive w/ strobes & color