Directed by Istvan Golob, ‘In the Trail of Free Dreams‘ dives into the life and times of illustrious Hungarian artist Imre Badonski. Charting his journey of his escape from the Communist regime in 1979, the film follows the artist through his different phases of life as he strives to find meaning and beauty in everything.
One of the greatest strengths of the documentary is how accessible it is to modern audiences. Usually, documentaries on art and artists are bland and can only be appreciated by arthouse audiences but here, both the subject and the subject matter are presented in such an interesting way that everyone can appreciate the mindset and the principles of Imre. Of particular note is Imre’s dash with the devastating Australian bushfires of 2019. With the fires destroying some of his most prized antiques that he had collected throughout his global adventures, the tragedy did not manage to subdue Imre. On the contrary, the documentary illustrates that the tragedy inspired Imre to once again dive deep into art to create an homage to this devastating tragedy.
Presented in a linear format with flashbacks using photographs and videos to the artist’s early years, the documentary does a pretty slick job of condensing and presenting the entirety of the artist’s journey as he dabbles with hippie culture, Hare Krishna devotees and finally, gets a calling from the Australian outback to settle in the land of kangaroos. Focusing on the personal as well as creative aspects of the artist’s life, the film goes the extra mile in showing the human side of the artist, making sure that the audience understands where Imre gets his inspiration and resolve from.
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