SOUDAIN, SEULS (SUDDENLY)

Based on a book by a woman who sailed round the world and who works for WWF.

Watchable. Shot in Iceland and Bretagne, I don't know where the penguins, which represent an island somewhere on the Southern Ocean, came from. The survival drama is far more engaging than the overlong relationship conversation or the cliche of the woman finding out she's pregnant. The movie doesn't explain why the rescue didn't come, instead it's a polar romance and a relationship drama. While the woman is impressively strong physically, mentally she's weak, as exemplified by her coming to terms with her partner's betrayal - the plot perpetuates the stereotype where a man's unfaithfulness is always forgiven. Some shots are breathtaking, especially in the last 40 minutes, when the landscapes are in the fog or of icebergs.

HET SMELT (WHEN IT MELTS)

Recommended. Based on a bestselling Belgian book. It's disturbing most of all. Repeatedly. It feels a bit pointless until the most horrible thing happens. And that, as well as the aftermath, hits you hard. It's a scorching look at how rape culture starts in childhood. Really smart, incisive, requiring psychological thinking all the time, especially child psychology, but rewarding. The title can be interpreted in quite a few ways. 

I'm happy I watched the movie at a Filmoterapia event. Both the shrinks on stage and the audience provided profound insights into each character's feelings and motivations. The psychologists also offered some clear solutions. 

OBLICZE JEZUSA

Watchable. Scientific parts, mostly the shocking opening one - about how badly battered Jezus was, especially his face, are intertwined with religious ones - typical for religious documentaries and so spiritual you yawn, though one bit was truly touching and some other thought-provoking. Wonderful cinematography lets you travel round Poland and the Mediterranean Sea basin as well as see rare historical artefacts up close. It's a good one, of decent length too, though too spiritual for my taste. 

WATCH DOCS 2023

It took place at Muranów and Kinoteka cinemas and on mojeekino.pl. From March 2024 it had screenings in 30 towns across Poland. 20 films were presented online, 56 in cinemas. All but 2 Polish ones which had been finished just before the festival had English subtitles. Player.pl from 11th to 31st December, showed films from previous editions. With 23 editions so far it's the oldest documentary film festival. And the 2023 edition had a beautiful poster. 

MUR (WALLS)

Watchable. Shown in Poland nearly 3 months after the release of "Zielona granica" ("Green Border"), it looks like a documentary copy of that feature: the same plot, with the addition of  Kasia Smutniak's family and their conversations about walls of Jewish ghettos in WW2. It shows two sides of the problem: volunteers rescuing illegal migrants and Border Guards. Little archive footage is presented, most are conversations and pictures of the same roads, woods and fields, as well as similar houses to those known from "Zielona granica" ("Green Border"). Sadly, the whole thing is awfully protracted, meandering. In spite of the agitating topic, the film appears lacklustre, it lacks dynamics. There's a post-credit which could just as well be in the picture or removed entirely.

The film was completed a year before Agnieszka Holland's feature and never consulted with Agnieszka Holland or that crew. It was made for Italian audience in order to tour the country and discuss with the public. "Zielona granica" ("Green Border") was released in Italy in 2024. Kasia Smutniak, who had been living in Italy for 25 years already, and Marella went without a plan, having learnt how to record. The Border Guards had no idea this documentary would be shot. The shooting took 2 weeks, editing 9 months.

SAD DZIADKA/САД ДІДУСЯ AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR, PROTAGONIST, CINEMATOGRAPHER/PROTAGONIST, PRODUCER AND HISTORIAN

Recommended. While this documentary tackles the Volhynian massacre, it's gentle. No archives, just Volhynia nowadays and a young woman from Poland looking for the traces of her grandfather's early childhood experience. It's verdant, quiet, people friendly. On the way, apart from occasional stories about the massacre retold as hearsays, she discovers that many Ukrainians warned Poles or even hosted runaways from the massacre - the first time I've heard of the good ones. Comforting. It also proves it's hostilities that lead to such events. As the Ukrainian cinematographer concludes: "There are many bad people in the world. There are also many good ones."

It's a Polish-Ukrainian co-production. There were initially 24 versions of the film, edited just before the full-scale war. The documentary was consulted by 6 historians, mostly Prof. Motyka. There was a cold-blooded political plan to eradicate Poles, by decision by Banderite OUN: if there are no Poles, there's no conflict. Bones coming onto the surface of the ground are common, that's why the protagonist came across some.

 What's coming up?

ZOOM TV

Their autumn schedule is based on 3 pillars: humour, scandal, mystery. 

Humour can be found in comedy shows starting on Sunday 13 October. Their recording is regularly prolonged by a few hours because the team make each other laugh. Raunchy jokes on breakfast TV are to be expected. To me, they're too vulgar to amuse. Elderly people are said to laugh most - maybe I'm just too young for that. 

A new season of "To leci w sieci" presenting click baits is already on - no Polish is needed to understand those videos of blunders.

"Alf" has come back, yes, the 80s show is already on.

Season 3 of "Dom w cenie mieszkania" starts on 6 October. The show tells you how to build a 200K-300K oasis of luxury within 2 weeks. Is it worth to move out of the city flat? "You can have 20 houses with no fence and tranquility or a noisy neighbour behind the fence - there's no rule." as presenter Kuba Midel says.

Season 2 of "Zabójcze potrawy" starts on 9 November. Whereas season 1 covered Asia, season 2 will be devoted to South America. Now the Amazon water levels are very low due to the climate disaster. Still, Jarek Nowak ate lizards or fish from the depths of the sea. Bolivia has 40% of oxygen - "football teams playing there try to draw." When Bolivians get down from 4 thousand metres above sea level they swell, which passes after a week. Now eating monkeys and frogs is forbidden by Peru. Jarek Nowak is only afraid of brains and eyes because of prion diseases. He met very friendly people in South America, especially in the Amazon. 

A new season, from early 2025, of the Polish version of British "Naked Attraction" - "Magia nagości. Polska", in order to reach a young audience, will be presented by influencer Julia Oleś who's a big fan of the original version. It's a dating show with all body shapes and sizes and an uncertainty of who will be chosen by the participant. One episode in spring is going to be in Julia's native Silesian.

From Monday to Friday documentaries are on offer. Those on Hitler are extremely popular. But you can also learn of tech novelties, e.g. drones which already transport people in Dubai or realise hens make friends with each other.

WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL

Starting this Friday, the festival brings several promising titles I'm dying to see and one picture I had a chance to see already, at Warsaw Film Festival,  "뉴 노멀" ("New Normal"). I'm in for a lot of fun.

MASCHILE PLURALE (MASCARPONE: THE RAINBOW CAKE) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR AND TWO ACTORS

The director likes villainous characters who are a bit fragile so that you can understand them. The new protagonist is inspired by his friend who's a volunteer doctor daytime and a drag queen at night.

Recommended. The sequel to cracking "Maschile singolare" ("Mascarpone") hears: "It's enough to stick to the recipe" - true, it emulates part one. It's less crazy and flippant, the sidekick girlfriend accountant is a major character now and is superb and a true supporting role. She stands out even among the fine performances all around, no matter how big or how small the role. The story's sometimes funny, e.g. when a protagonist hears of a husband who used to love pastries and thinks he's dead - the guy turns out to be live and kicking, he's just developed diabetes. It's touching again. I think I cried even more than at the first movie, so palpable Antonio's despair was, but at least this time no one dies. The very final scene is heartening and grabs you in suspense. 

They've already got the screenplay of part 3 but the production relies on the little money they receive from Amazon Prime. The actors in real life weren't as dashing as in the movie which only proves the cinematography, make-up etc. were superb in the film. In the English version the patisserie is called "Denis" and the movie was translated from Italian to Polish via English which explains why "Da Denis" ("At Denis's") has become "Dla Denisa" ("For Denis") in the Polish one. I personally think "U Denisa" ("At Denis's") would be not only closer to the original but it would also reflect they were happy there. 

KOCHAM POLSKIE KINO (I LOVE POLISH CINEMA) DEBATE

It was an industry debate. Lots of support for arthouse or documentaries was expressed. Studio Munka was praised as producers and Cannes Festival as apolitical. A report on the condition of the audiovisual industry for the banking sector is vital so that they can credit-check the producers. KIPA (Polish Producers Alliance) is teaching producers how to test the audience at the development stage. "Delegacja" ("Delegation") or "Ultima Thule" were distributed by producers. Mostly niche arthouse has distribution issues. There's no stability, financing rules by public institutions change too often to adjust the production, especially documentaries need 3 years to collect funding. Microbudget programs are often used by production debutants. One of female producers was carried out by the PISF (Polish Film Institute) security guards. There's a problem with microbudget programs, because in result the film has no distribution or the scriptwriter gets no money. Netflix signs contracts in such a way they can exchange creators. There are no youth serials any more - the lead must be above 30 to attract bigger audience - the algorithms determine that. Film schools don't support enough, they tend to be hostile to students even more than the world afterwards. Most of the debate was grumbling by people destroyed by the system. No one from the film industry was at the Filmoteka Narodowa council. Rich Polish Television hired people on junk contracts even 8 years ago. Archives lost their competent employees. "Hunger Games" had 20 shooting days in Wrocław but Poland was unseen in promotion, no return on the investment. 

Following the SAG-AFTRA strike last year, now a density of new releases is to be expected in the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025. Budzyń, Pyrzowice etc. small town cinemas sell more than 45% tickets for Polish movies. There are 20 Polish cinema distributors in Poland, on paper anyway. Polish cinemas represent high standard. Cinema has survived video, DVD, Blu Ray - some of the technologies even aren't there any more. The promotion campaign of Święto Kina (Cinema Celebration Day - my own translation) which takes place twice a year costs Cinema City 300 million zlotys. All cinema groups were indebted after the pandemic. 2023 was 20% up in comparison with 2022, but still 20% lower than 2019. In 2019 more than 26% of tickets sold were Polish movies, though yearly it's less than 20%. 2022 saw 347 films, including 112 full-length films produced in Poland. 1.5 films a week premiere at the cinema. 

MEDUSA DELUXE

Switched off. They just drone on and on about someone killed, walk down long corridors in betweeen and waffle again.

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.

CINEMAFORUM 2023

As usual with this festival, I only attended some screenings, time allowing.

JAN MACHULSKI AWARDS - NOMINEES:

PIESN HUMBAKOW (THE WHALE SONG)

Watchable. Nothing to do with whales, well, there is some humpback sound kind of mixed with the background music, but the tale is about a man. It's a bit crazy and chaotic but very stylish - Polish early 90s and a set of peculiar characters. 

SZEREG SYCZACY (THE CLENCH)

Watchable. A cathartic drama about a relationship between a speech therapist and her patient. Totally engaging. Perfectly acted. Still, while it looks as if there was some secret behind them two, nothing else happens. Simple yet effective.

AKWIZYTORZY

Watchable. A day in the life of a salesman. Crazy incidents abound, each driven by the bizarre characters he encounters.I loved a hilarious bit: "Obrus prababci sprzed wojny! Nic tego nie spierze." "Ależ spierze! Najlepsza chemia z Niemiec" ("Great grandma's tablecloth from before the war! Nothing will wash it off." "But it will! The best chemicals from Germany"). No conclusion, just a story of the evening.

FUNERALIA

Watchable. A crazy story with bizarre yet stylish characters. Not everyone's motivations are clear. 

THE EDITOR READS THE SCRIPT.

In the Q&A about her profession, editor Magdalena Chowańska mentioned the Netflix algorithm: If it drags, the algorithm asks to cut but in reality movies often drag because they were shortened, because the viewer feels bored if they don't understand the film. Never is the initial script unaltered in the outcome movie. The least editing in her career has been "Supernova" because it couldn't be cut differently without damaging the movie. Scriptwriters lack visual imagination, overuse dialogue, sometimes an actor has a worse day or something else is unfeasible on set. Technology-wise, you only need a full HD screen, no bigger computer is necessary. Taking breaks is important. She once went for 2 months with nearly no sleep.

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION SCREENINGS:

48 HOURS

Watchable. It's a boring family drama but the girl's reactions are just like a dog's so it's all easy to understand even for the childless.

THE STORM

Watchable. Another family drama but this one speaks volumes about Chinese culture: one forcing to study hard and enforcing obedience to elders. 

CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO DIE

Watchable. Poorly acted and directed which detracts from an awesome twist in the story.

ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES

Watchable. A boring, slow-paced depiction of a very mundane life.

THE FLYING SAILOR

Watchable again. An incredible story inspired by a real life incident appears in a differently animated form: from the splendid outer space, through the evocative sea, to an ugly naked fellow.

ICE MERCHANTS

Watchable. A climate change, or maybe just a season change, drama. Poor animation, a simple story, yet with an incomprehensible ending.

BOLERO

Watchable. Very gay and obscene - an all-gender crowd gets aroused by a drag queen's dance... in a toilet. Only music saves the film.

FAIRPLAY

Watchable. People engage in ludicrous record-beating games. No reason for that or for this film is provided.

AN AVOCADO PIT

Recommended. The lead actors are amazing in this sensual trans flick. The two actors fascinate and they manage to take you from A, through B, C, to Z with the immigrant (probably from Brazil) issue. 

NA ZYWO (LIVE) AND Q&A

Watchable. Not a genuine reconstruction of an event in Belarus, you don't know who the people are and what is happening - comprehensible only for people in the know.

The Belarussian director was a Belsat journalist 10 years earlier. Those knockings, dragging people out, took place because OMON was looking for the 2 journalists but couldn't find them. Now you can go to jail for a like under a Facebook post. 1 of the 2 journalists was let out after the 2-year sentence, the other got accused of spying and is serving an 8-year sentence now. Belsat was created as a TV broadcasting from Poland, kind-of free Europe. Now political prisoners get not 2, but 6 years in prison. The film stands no chance to be shown in Belarus, that could be risky for the audience too. In real life the girls were taken out by force, in the film they finish it on their own terms. The director has finished a full-length film about it too but with a different plot.

AMERICAN SHORTS:

TAKE ME HOME

Watchable. Some moral preaching about how hard it is to cope with a disabled family member and institutions.

IN THE FLESH

Watchable. Weird and incomprehensible, both her sexual fantasies and her fears.

ENDLESS SEE

Recommended. Powerful condemnation of the US healthcare system where medication prices are life threatening. Told through one person's struggle it puts you in her shoes.

THE VACATION 

Recommended. Simple, tricky, with smart dialogue.

CLOSING DYNASTY

Watchable. What an annoying kid! How are we to feel sorry for her? Well, smartly titled and scripted. The child actress ruins the message.

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Watchable. Dark, tongue-in-cheek but over-the-top, implausible, contrived. The breakthrough is too physical.

SPECIAL SCREENING:

RANDKA  AND Q&A

Watchable. I was a bit late to the screening. To me the woman acts normal. So it's hard to see why it's a film about female autism.

Explanations came only in the Q&A. The female protagonist of this Polish film is autistic just like the male director. Her autism appears mostly under the table, in her nervous stimming, touching her face, tendency to lecture. The director's friend has a friend whose son is autistic: "a nie widać" "Doner, pokaż panu autyzm" ("but it doesn't show" "Doner, show autism to the gentleman"). Female autism is more subtle. 

BAFTA SHORTS:

THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE

Recommended. Looks beautiful, the animation sees shimmering snow and sky at times, on the big screen.

BAZIGAGA

Watchable. Hard to work out the plot, who is who and what and why. But it shows the woman's strength as she opposes the military.

BUS GIRL

Recommended. Wonderfully shot with Xiaomi, visually its the company commercial.

But it has a story too, one of a career and the upper class.

AN IRISH GOODBYE

Watchable. British sarcasm at its best Irish way. The set-up and the plot are a bit far-fetched, one is quite dumb so it turns vulgar. Interesting anyway.

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION SCREENING:

THE BEADS

Watchable. You don't know what it's about. Bright colours.

BASRI & SALMA IN A NEVER-ENDING COMEDY

Recommended. A wonderful anti-natalist flick Bollywood style.

THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT THE FIGHT

Watchable just as a short in a set. A pile of nonsense, no idea what it was meant to be about.

FILE

Watchable. An intense sociological thriller with a bit disappointing ending which doesn't conclude the story.

POLISH DREAM AND Q&A

Watchable. A perfect depiction of Poland in the 80s: the issues, the aspirations and absurdities of the reality. The tale is served with a pinch of salt, it's comical but it leans towards a psychological family drama which ruins the film.

Most of the scriptwriting work was the protagonists' backstory.

MASTERS, MASTERS:

ROZDZIOBIA NAS KRUKI, WRONY AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR JAN HOLOUBEK

Watchable. Old, black and white.

The film was developed from Jan Holoubek's 3rd year of Cinematography school etude. He was trying but failing in directing for many years. He's never been into cinematography though - others try to play with light and colour. But a director also works with how to frame images. He learnt most from elder schoolmates and his own mistakes. Over years he was taking small steps towards directing. His first big production was "Rojst" ("The Mire"). He had been writing for 9 years but no one had wanted those scripts. The "Rojst" ("The Mire") series is still on platforms. Now he's preproducing a miniserial about the sinking of ferry Heweliusz. 8 people survived it. He's met one of them still sailing on a ferry. They've got the script, but details, objects require rewriting. The first movie is always the worst paid, you pay to make etudes. "Wielka woda" ("High Water") is also his series. But directors don't get royalties from sold tickets. Confidentiality clauses in his contracts preclude him from revealing how much he earns. One of the Cossacks in the short caused a problem: the actor lied he could horseride so the director had to decide how to shoot on set. He chose this story because he wanted to show how unceremoniously people kill, just like that. He's actors' son but he's always been excited by the camera. He shoots in panoramic CinemaScope. He always focuses on his next project. 

SPECIAL SCREENINGS:

POLACY DONBASU (THE POLES OF DONBAS)

Watchable. Not a particularly revelatory documentary. The only shocking bit is that evacuation of Donetsk wouldn't start until the first Pole was killed. 

WIARA. NADZIEJA. MILOSC (FAITH. HOPE. LOVE)

Recommended. More emotional. Also, it discusses the Mariupol syndrome.

Q&A WITH DIRECTOR MAGDALENA JUSZCZYK

About 30 people refused interviews out of fear. When Russia encroached on Donbass, evacuation plans started on the Polish side. Lots of young people: 20-30-year-old who are in Lviv are without limbs. The first film was finished long before 24th Feb. 2024, in December 2021, the second film was being made over the whole 2022. Only two countries evacuated their citizens form Donbass in 2014/15: Poland and Israel. But in 2022 the Kharkiv consulate for all of Ukraine packed up hastily leaving Polish people behind, many died. They have nowhere to go back to, i.e. no homes.

No paper catalogue at the festival, even the voting cards had the white circles so small it was hard to write in your note. The bag I won in a draw bled black in contact with water - it had been promoted as more environmentally friendly than paper catalogues. Instead it bleeds some toxic dye, is useful if it rains - awful greenwashing. I still keep past years catalogues since they're more useful and durable.

Past year's:

THANKSGIVING

Watchable. It opens with a brilliant joke by Patrick Dempsey's (wonderful in this role) character Sheriff Newlon knocking on a door looking for a guy who turns out to be a stuffed turkey. Eli Roth's slasher is obviously brutal, unfortunately he tries to emulate his earlier movies so it's not just gore, it's also spew, guts, brains falling out, even baking people alive. At least this sickening violence is sprinkled with language humour, though it all gets lost in the Polish translation. There's social satire too. Some things don't make sense, e.g. putting contact lenses in in the afternoon and without washing hands i.e. in a bedroom. The police officer knows more than he logically should.But the film follows the rules of the genre, with a red herring and the identity of the killer revealed only in the finale. The end credits express gratitude to Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. The post-credit scene is just a cut-out. I hope at least the outcome of this movie will be good for turkeys.

LE COMTE DE MONTE-CRISTO (THE COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTO)

Recommended. It may last 2 hours 58 minutes but it takes great care to present all the events plausibly, which includes extraordinary make-up rendering the story from when the protagonist was 22 to the age of 43 amazingly convincingly. You also get wonderful performances all around, no matter how big or small the role. It's a modern adaptation so there's a surprise in a little side plot. An additional surprise is a beautiful, Arabic rhythm-inspired song (the oriental melody is justified in the plot) which can be heard also during the end credits. The best adaptation of the novel to date.

Past year's:

W NICH CALA NADZIEJA (THE LAST SPARK OF HOPE)

Recommended. Post-apocalyptic sci-fi shot in Silesia. Just one human protagonist: Ewa, superbly acted by Magdalena Wieczorek. The story's smartly written by Piotr Biedroń and the main twist is Robert Sheckley-like. Also, there's a robot, not AI as it's used nowadays. The finale's tongue-in-cheek too. A relatively simple story but gripping, especially from the twist onwards. Conversations refer you to a number of paradoxes of our contemporary reality. Decent, sci-fi-appropriate music and cinematography. Make-up is top-notch too. The final credits of this budget movie are not even long but slow and, apart from a very early brief mid-credit indicating someone might be out there trying to use the radio, nothing else happens. 

Past year's:

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

Watchable. Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton, Toby Jones, Stephen Fry voice the original, nobodies dub the Polish version. At least the dialogues have received a top-notch translation by Bartek Fukiet. In spite of an ambitious music selection, "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" or "The Blue Danube" disappear, even "The Ride of the Valkyries" can be missed. The story is extended ridiculously. At least you get professional CGIs and some cultural tropes, e.g. someone's brother's name is Dorian or they fly in a car against a full moon backdrop. There's a post-credit.

EXTRANA FORMA DE VIDA (STRANGE WAY OF LIFE) AND INTERVIEW WITH PEDRO ALMODOVAR

Watchable. This 30-minute short opens with a fado song performed by Gaetano Veloso - a male singing in falsetto. The rest of the film is utterly gay. Overtalked.

The director, apart from giving a thorough explanation of this short, dwelled on westerns, noticing e.g. recent 3 ones made by women, but boasted of being the first (?!) to shoot a gay western. Has he not seen the Oscar-winning "Brokeback Mountain", for one? He perceives western as the American replacement for mythology so took great care to keep all its elements but tell his own story. Together with his earlier "The Human Voice", he's planning a triptych of shorts.

MOJE OZERNA (MY PLACE OZERNA)

Walked out. It drags. And it's depressing since both the woman who's emigrated to London and the granny in Ukraine feel useless and unsuccessful in life.

SKAD DOKAD (IN THE REARVIEW) ANOTHER Q&A

About 400 people were moved in the van, but they also organised a bigger bus, there are fewer evacuations now but they still go on. Lots of uncertainty accompanied them: are you on the right road? Protagonists have told about their experience in France, Maciek Hamela has been with the movie in the US and in Asia. Foreigners often don't get this neighbourliness. This aid spurt continues till now. In some cinemas viewers have organised fundraising. The film was first funded with their own means, then PISF (Polish Film Institute) joined in the production. 

RAPORT PILECKIEGO (THE PILECKI REPORT)

Watchable. Why have they made English subtitles if the plot isn't fully comprehensible unless you're proficient in Polish history? Bizarre cut seriously hinders understanding. The action moves to and fro in time and space, each having its own characters. I just couldn't make out those details. You do learn new facts about Auschwitz. But the rest is chaos. Evocatively shot at times, e.g when Mrs. Pilecka leaves the Security Office astounded or during his torture interrogation. The second half is hard-hitting, easier to understand in spite of continuing chaos in editing, and shows Pilecki's tragedy - his vital report from Auschwitz didn't bring any action thus his sacrifice failed to save lives.  

Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.