Czech filmmaker Marie Dvořáková presents in the Opus Bonum and Czech Joy sections of the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival an intimate time-lapse documentary in the form of Worlds Between Us, chronicling photographer Marie Tomanová’s ascent through pivotal career milestones in New York City. Tomanová, who grew up on a small Czech farm, navigates the city's bustling art scene while grappling with identity and cultural adaptation—themes that resonate closely with Dvořáková herself, who also transitioned from Central Europe to the United States

Dvořáková, a director of several documentary shorts, gained recognition with her surreal short film Who is Who in Mycology, which won the Student Academy Award in 2017. Worlds Between Us is her feature-length film debut. Here, she departs from conventional artist biographies, opting instead for a form that avoids overt exposition, focusing on raw, intimate moments that capture Tomanová’s experiences as she straddles two contrasting worlds. Key themes emerge around the tension between artistic integrity and ambition, the personal costs of forging a creative identity abroad, and the cultural dislocation inherent to pursuing a career outside one's home country.

Adding another dimension to the documentary is Tomanová’s relationship with her partner, Thomas Beachdel, an art historian whose presence in her life provides both grounding and comic relief. Beachdel serves as a de facto narrator, his voice-over guiding the audience through Tomanová’s artistic journey, from the allure of portrait photography, capturing urban youth and subcultures, to her reflections on her Czech roots. His insights lend an external perspective, contextualising Tomanová’s experiences within the broader landscape of art and identity.

The film opens on the eve of Tomanová’s first solo exhibition in New York City, an important milestone alongside encounters with her idol Ryan McGinley, the publication of her first book, and a long-awaited trip back to the Czech Republic after seven years for her mother’s wedding. While these are notable achievements, Dvořáková resists the urge to construct a conventional success narrative, instead offering a nuanced portrayal of Tomanová’s journey, highlighting the pressures and complexities that underpin artistic success. The rapport between Dvořáková and Tomanová is evident; the photographer appears comfortable enough to discuss her doubts and aspirations openly. Forgoing the convention of talking heads, Dvořáková’s documentary is lively and dynamic, mirroring Tomanová’s restless energy as she shares her background, from her early days in the Czech Republic to babysitting gigs and the constant hustle of New York City.

A recurring theme in Worlds Between Us is cultural duality and a sense of displacement, as Tomanová grapples with her dual identities as Czech and American. Dvořáková avoids romanticising Tomanová’s success, juxtaposing her achievements with candid moments of self-doubt and exhaustion. The documentary captures the tension of balancing personal aspirations with the constraints of a foreign environment, underscoring the challenges that accompany life in the fast-paced New York art scene.

Worlds Between Us follows another recent documentary about a Czech photographer, Klára Tasovská’s I'm Not Everything I Want to Be [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Klára Tasovská
fiche film], which also explores the personal life of its subject through her extensive photo collection and diaries. While both films examine the journey of a female artist towards self-realisation, Worlds Between Us stands apart as a portrait of an artist from a different generation within a vastly different context. Tasovská’s film delves into the socio-political landscape of its protagonist’s world, while Worlds Between Us centres on the cultural ambitions and personal sacrifices within a cross-cultural framework. Despite its sober look at Tomanová’s challenges, her candid and buoyant personality lends the film a lightness and approachability - she doesn’t take herself too seriously on camera - without diminishing the effort required to achieve her Czech-American dream.

World Between Us is produced by Evolution Films and co-produced by PubRes and HBO Europe.