The bulk of “Struggle” is built upon a series of interviews with Szukalski, filmed in the 1980s by collector Glenn Bray. Bray had come across a book of Szukalski’s sculptures and paintings and, by happy coincidence, discovered that the artist actually lived nearby. As they became acquainted, it became clear that Szukalski’s situation at the time — living anonymously in California — obscured the fame he had achieved in his youth, as well as his view of himself as something of a genius.
But with the good came the bad, including evidence of past bigotry and anti-Semitism. Some protest — as Szukalski himself does — that he reformed. Others, including his one-time friend George DiCaprio (who with his son, Leonardo, is a producer on the film), came to find his past actions unforgivable.
The interviews are largely with those who would still count Szukalski as a friend, but Dobrowolski’s opinions on his subject aren’t obvious, even if he is helping to rescue the artist from oblivion. (Szukalski’s works were mostly destroyed in World War II.) Still, for Bray, George DiCaprio and others who knew Szukalski in his final years, their struggle with his past is deeply personal. They effectively become subjects themselves, grappling with how he ought to be remembered. The viewer is left to decide.
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‘Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski’ is not rated. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.