I'm Not Everything I Want to Be

I'm Not Everything I Want to Be
Promotional release poster
CzechJeště nejsem, kým chci být
Directed byKlára Tasovská
Screenplay byAlexander Kashcheev
Klára Tasovská
Produced byLukáš Kokeš
Klára Tasovská
Ralph Wieser
Jakub Viktorín
StarringLibuše Jarcovjáková
CinematographyLibuše Jarcovjáková
Edited byAlexander Kashcheev
Music byProkop Korb
Adam Matej
Oliver Torr
Production
companies
Mischief Films
Nutprodukcia
Somatic Films
Somatic Films
Česká televize
ARTE GEIE
Release date
Running time
90 minutes
CountriesCzech Republic
Slovakia
Austria
LanguageCzech
Box officeUS$20,894[1][2]

I'm Not Everything I Want to Be (Czech: Ještě nejsem, kým chci být) is a 2024 documentary film co-written, co-produced and directed by Klára Tasovská.[3] The film is a portrait of the life and career of Czech photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, who was noted for her photography of the underground LGBTQ scene in Prague prior to the decriminalization of homosexuality in the country.[4]

The film premiered in February 2024 at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.[3] It was later screened in the International Competition at the 2024 Festival du nouveau cinéma, where it won both the Daniel Langlois Innovation Award and the Fierté Montréal award for best LGBTQ-related film in the festival program.[5] The film also won the audience award and the Pass Culture jury prize in Écrans mixtes, LGBTQ+ festival of Lyon in 2025.[6]

It was selected as the Czech entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[7]

Synopsis

The documentary follows Czech photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková through several decades of her life and career. Using her personal photographs, diaries, and narration, the film recounts her experiences in Czechoslovakia during the period of normalization, where she documents factory workers, nightlife, marginalized communities, and her own private life.

As Jarcovjáková becomes involved in Prague’s underground cultural scene, she also records the city’s gay community and explores her personal relationships and identity. Facing political and social restrictions, she eventually leaves Czechoslovakia and moves to West Berlin. Her attempts to establish herself abroad are followed by a period in Tokyo, where she works in fashion photography.

The film continues through her later return to Europe and the political changes surrounding the end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Across these stages of her life, Jarcovjáková repeatedly turns the camera on herself and those around her. The documentary presents her photographic archive as both a record of changing societies and an account of her continuing search for artistic independence and personal freedom.

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 12 reviews.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jeste nejsem, kým chci být (2024)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "I'm Not Everything I Want to Be". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  3. 1 2 Matthew Joseph Jenner, "Berlinale 2024 review: I'm Not Everything I Want to Be (Klára Tasovská)". International Cinephile Society, 18 February 2024.
  4. ↑ Marta Balaga, "'Parties, Sexual Exploration, Doubts and Depression': 'I'm Not Everything I Want to Be' Portrays the 'Nan Goldin of Czechoslovakia'". Variety, 8 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "Le FNC dévoile son palmarès". CTVM, 21 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Margall, Clémence (2025-03-15). "Lyon : le festival Écrans Mixtes dévoile son palmarès 2025". Lyon Capitale (in French). Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  7. ↑ "Za Česko půjde do oscarového klání dokument Ještě nejsem, kým chci být". ČT24 (in Czech). Czech Television. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  8. ↑ "I'm Not Everything I Want to Be". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
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