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A gifted herbalist in 1950s Czech Republic cures patients through unconventional methods.
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The breathtaking story of a man gifted with exceptional abilities set against the background of the events of the totalitarian fifties.
"Czech filmmaker Agnieszka Holland ('Traces', 'Mr. Jones') is one of the most interesting names in Czech cinema, extremely prolific and with a unique creativity - despite some instability in her work in recent years. 'Charlatan' seems like the perfect mix between these good and bad moments of Holland's filmography. On the one hand, the feature succeeds in telling the story of a herbalist in the Czech Republic who analyzed his patients' urine and prescribed plants to cure them. The plot is interesting and the journey of this man undoubtedly raises many questions - are his methods really effective, for example? However, the filmmaker ends up weighing too heavily on the melodrama and, mainly, on the blank narrative. This interesting discussion about the herbalist's history never goes beyond, as well as important reflections on healing. In the end, however, it should please those who like good and interesting biographies, regardless of the critical content of the film. Reflection is up to you."