The Man Who Stood In the Way

This historical drama focuses on František Kriegel, a physician and politician involved in the 1968 Prague Spring. Following his arrest on August 21, Kriegel was taken to Moscow alongside five other state and party leaders. While held in captivity, he faced pressure from Leonid Brezhnev and the KGB. He became the only Czechoslovak politician to refuse to sign the Moscow Protocol, which would have formally accepted the occupation of his country.

The film was directed by Petr Nikolaev and written by Ivan Fíla. The cast is led by Tomáš Töpfer in the role of František Kriegel, appearing alongside Zuzana Mauréry, Adrian Jastraban, Oleksandr Ihnatusha, Alois Švehlík, and Jiří Ployhar. The project was a joint production between companies from the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Ukraine, including Artbox, Bio Illusion, and Insight Media Producing Center.

Released on May 25, 2023, the movie has received a positive response from viewers. On IMDb, it holds a rating of 7/10 based on 146 votes.