Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski is the kind of documentary that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into a hidden room of art history—one packed with towering imagination, raw obsession, and a life too strange to have been forgotten. It unfolds with the momentum of a mystery and the intimacy of a confession, letting you sit close to Szukalski’s brilliance while never airbrushing the jagged edges that come with it. The vibe is equal parts awe and unease, as the film asks what we do with genius when it arrives tangled in ego, pain, and contradictions. If you’re drawn to stories where art feels like a force of nature—and you can handle a portrait that’s honest rather than purely celebratory—this is a fascinating, inspiring watch that lingers long after the credits.

Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski wants to be a thrilling rediscovery story, pulling you into the mystery of a forgotten “mad genius” and the passionate fans who bring him back into the light. It’s slick and genuinely fascinating when it sticks to the artwork and the sheer oddity of the man’s life, but it can feel a bit too enamored with its subject, skating past the uglier parts with a tone that some will read as glamorizing. Szukalski’s outsized ego and the film’s closeness to his admirers can make the perspective feel biased, especially when his racist views enter the picture and you’re left wanting tougher questioning. If you need documentaries to hold their subjects firmly accountable rather than letting charisma and craft do the heavy lifting, this may leave you frustrated even while you’re impressed.