Bohemia docta or The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart (Divine Comedy)

In this film, Karel Vachek explores 'Czech reality' of the 1990s, continuing the style and poetics of his earlier works. This time, however, he enters the narrative much more actively - becoming not only a 'manipulator' of his interviewees, but a direct protagonist of an original 'novelistic' essay on freedom, politics, society, nature, globalization, science and art. He employs his distinctive sense of humor and irony more than ever before.

Working with cinematographer Karel Slach, sound engineer Libor Sedláček and editor Renata Pařezová, Vachek builds on the 'polyphony' of image and sound, plays with sonic overlaps and repeatedly returns to 'begun' but unfinished sequences. He places his characters from various fields in unusual settings - a ossuary, a Czech rodeo, a dense forest - and openly directs them during conversations.

The film was made between 1997 and 2000 and captures specific events: the reopening of Café Slavia, a gathering of poets at Bítov, or book signings. The musical dramaturgy alternates between timpani strikes, the Czech national anthem performed on trumpet, and songs by Plastic People, Jim Čert or Pepa Nos. Interspersed shots of Czech mushrooms against castle backdrops with mushroom names and locations serve as a 'distancing' device; photographs of Czech governments on a puppet theatre stage are a subtle reference to political reality.