O, SWIECENIE! (O SHINETH) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR

Watchable. A short religious animation where the dynamic painted sequences, on white background, look sketchy and basic. So is the didactic message.

The director created the film for his daughter when he was working away from home. It took 10 years to make.

DUCHY (GHOSTS) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR

Watchable. This short drama is misleading at first since the train sequences are black and white and the childhood ones colourful. In most films the present is in colour and black and white sequences are the past. Here it's not time-related as I found out from the Q&A later. The girl's story gets cut-off, looks like the character was used only to be an interlocutor. As common in Polish productions, the dark sequences are nearly pitch-black so you really have to strain your eyes to see what's going on. And, what's worse, you need the director's verbal explanation to understand the film. The final scene is on the creepy side yet thought-provoking.

The director doesn't like to be scared so he's no fan of horrors. "The Lighthouse" or early Ari Aster are ones he accepts - "nothing jumps at me", "just stares, nothing frightens me more than someone walking slowly towards me." - he hasn't seen "It follows". He wanted to capture how ghosts see us, the spirits' perspective.

PIESN O NOCY (SONG OF THE NIGHT) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR

Watchable. This short drama is fascinating, though theatrical. When the young man, with a sculpted body, undresses, it becomes intriguing. First I thought the visitor might be the couple's son so I was seriously wrong. The astonishing erotic sequence is a huge twist in the plot as I perceived it first. The film deals with the ravages of a suppressed passion, Both the visitor and the old man are shot statuesquely. Monumental Bach music is a perfect match. As common in Polish productions, the dark sequences are nearly pitch-black so you really have to strain your eyes to see, especially the place. And, what's worse, you need the director's verbal explanation to understand the film.

Asked about the monumentalism of the film, the director explained the couple are people who made money in the 1990s and have an Italian dream but the rope is there too. The house is dark, with no life symbolically, because the house is already after the protagonist's death. The story has happened to him. In the director's view people are afraid of being themselves and only at their deathbed do they come out. His own coming out was when he was 5 so he's got no problem with it. The woman kicks the visitor out of the house because what she saw in him  was the death that came to the house. Afterwards she returns to the house after death - the statues, the decor are gone, her husband appears in an afterglow - he's gone too.

SPIRITUS SANCTUS (SPIRITUS SANCTUS) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR

Watchable. This short comedy is set in the early 1990s - I laughed out loud when the hapless man rode his motorbike to the shop - the smalltown reality of the period is comical. Polish religiousness is treated with a note of levity since you follow the protagonist's travails as he attempts to purchase alcohol on the only day its sale is banned.

The director leaves the ambiguity whether it's the wind or God that manipulates the TV aerial. The story's told with pictures and is meant to be dual: the daily life one and the religious revelation one.

AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM

Watchable. It opens with Warner's logo submerged in an ocean with colourful fishes. The baby is revolting. Amber Heard looks like a milk cow and acts like one. Visually the movie derives from many sci-fi, fantasy, horror (directed and co-written by James Wan) flicks and adventure productions so lamely it's a mockery. There's a mid-credit, no post-credit.

WONKA

Watchable.I don't like musicals or dark fairy tales but this one is acted superbly, shot in the UK, it has a bit of British humour and is certainly better than that idiocy with Johnny Depp from years ago. Still, I found it quite distressing because it's so life-like and depressive. On the plus side, I loved the giraffe and "A Roald Dahl story" appears on a chocolate wrapper. The Polish language version has better songs. The story's concluded during the end credits.

MARYJA. MATKA PAPIEZA

Watchable. The Saint Mary cult, Fatima's last revelation, eschatology, but most of all Karol Wojtyła's family story and his formative years are the subject of this documentary. Lots of period photographs and news recordings prove the film is well documented. But archive footage is presented in a square with kind of an echo of the picture in red - as if the middle square wasn't grainy enough. Luckily it's compensated by modern shots of the places discussed and of experts. As usual in religious documentaries the commentary is rich in detail boring to outsiders. 

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

POSLANI

Watchable. While Michał or Daniel's revelation and Daniel's nightmare slumbers could be dismissed as a deeply religious person's hallucination, other signs they experience are harder to ignore. Aneta's story is different. The woman chose her path consciously. As the stories intertwined, my rescue dog suddenly started to listen attentively: "why does God subject us to suffering? "we have free will". That got me thinking - about dogs and about humans. Then I was deeply moved when the elderly pilgrim was telling how he had knelt down in front of the man who had been insulting him and the insulting man had knelt back. The film is also a chance to learn who the legendary priest Popiełuszko was. Social phenomena like men praying in public in the street and how the men's rosary spread to the rest of the world are explained. Unfortunately it's filled with not-always-interesting details - my guess is a better cut would improve this otherwise inspiring documentary about how unusual approaches to faith become the norm, about how to deal with secular criticism and how to live your own life - the way God wants you to.

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

KOS (SCARBORN)

Recommended. Structured like "Django Unchained", it tells about the commonality of fate of American slaves and Polish serfs - one actor, Jason Mitchell, is actually a black American and in this Polish movie he's as excellent as all the Polish cast. I'm not listing the numerous names, the performances are all superb. Top-notch cinematography, editing and virtually everything are world-class. The best, however, is the script: with smart dialogue, lots of humour, it's a game between Polish nobility, peasants and Russian occupiers. It's intense, with just perfect lines. It's an intelligent remake of history, with levity, with a large dose of wit and smart adjustment to the Polish reality. There's one famous line from the current war in Ukraine as well.The dialogues, with lots of quips, are a work of genius. The movie's absolutely spotless.

ROBOT DREAMS

Recommended again. I spotted the mugshot with name Dog Varon - like the surname of the original comic book author. The song is 1978 "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire. This time round I didn't perceive the movie as as sorrowful as before. It's still for adults rather than for kids - those would get bored and impatient, even though the story's rich in little events. This time I saw it as a tale about in how many ways we're useful to others, about how we cherish our relationships and how everyone needs someone. It's very life-like, including some malicious people, but told with love. Animation-wise, Dog's tail speaks volumes at times. 

ORLY FESTIVAL 2024 - POLISH FILM AWARDS CANDIDATES

МИ НЕ ЗГАСНЕМО (WE WILL NOT FADE AWAY)

Walked out. Ukrainian-controlled part of Donbass, 2019. Daily life, smalltown youth's longings, soldiers passing them by in the street, distant sounds of artillery. Nothing you wouldn't expect. Nothing to make a film about. 

HER DOCS FORUM

ЩОРАЗУ ЗАТИНАЮСЯ ВІД ЗВІСТКИ З КИЄВА (I STUMBLE EVERY TIME I HEAR FROM KYIV)

Switched off. A short documentary in which a refugee talks to people in Kyiv and parallelly undergoes a trauma therapy. Incomprehensible in details, in disarray.  

Reviewed from the organizers' screener, cinematic reception might differ.

THE BEEKEEPER AT IMAX

Recommended. Jason Statham is one of the producers in the actioner with conscience he stars in. While it starts with con artists hacking into elderly people's bank accounts, the plot takes you higher up the social circles. Expertly crafted action sequences, gripping, perfectly designed, shot in London, UK and Boston, Ma. Josh Hutcherson is a wonderful hipster villain as Derek Danford. 

AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM 3D

Walked out. I kept testing my left eye, my right eye, wiping my 3D glasses. Nearly non-existent 3D and unnaturally-sounding Polish voices - the 3D version is available only dubbed in Polish. While this makes it infantile, monsters and profanities in the language render it inappropriate also for that age group. Lines like "co tu robisz, do cholery?" ("WTF are you doing here?") in prison or later: "chuda dupo" ("lean ass") to his brother are not something I'd let children listen to. Wonderfully surrounding music is not enough.

WHITE BIRD

Recommended. I got to the screening 5-6 minutes late, at the end of the opening titles. so I might have missed a bit. The reality of wartime France and Nazi anti-Jewish propaganda is so harrowing I cried. But in spite of harrowing events, it this story has a positive message, it's one that we never forget kindness.

AFRYKAMERA 2023 ONLINE

FOR LOVE

Watchable. I understand why this short won the audience award. It's truly touching. But the story, even though simple: a woman proposes to her lover so that she is allowed to stay in the UK, has an incomprehensible twist - I knew some twist was coming but the ending is perplexing.

THE HOMES WE CARRY

Watchable. I guess the dual or triple national identity may be an issue for people since it was voted the best documentary by the audience, even though this observational film, apart from giving you the rough picture of Madgermanes' predicament: both Germany where they trained and Mozambique let them down, is a 1.5-hour documentary which just shows family life - pleasant, warm but nothing interesting there.

ملكات (QUEENS)

Recommended. Voted best feature film by the festival audience, western-like, structured like "Thelma & Louise", but with Moroccan landscapes, music, social customs and folk beliefs, it's a riveting adventure. Wonderful cinematography, an engaging plot, where Moroccan reality twists the story. It's a special.

CLASHING DIFFERENCES

Watchable. A damn smart satire on political correctness, leftist ideologies -  made by women and acted by women. With great music. The only downside is it forces you to constantly analyse what is being sad. It's quite intellectual. But visually colourful, dynamic. Fun. German but versatile.

MILISUTHANDO

Switched off. While most films about South Africa deal with the discriminatory practices of apartheid or its fall, this one is a unique presentation of its beginnings. Ones fully approved of and welcomed by blacks. But daily family life - unlike any other - and narration, poetic kind, constitute most of the film. The interviews with children are boring and don't bring any new information. This important message gets ruined by the protracted form. A documentary over 2 hours long is always a forewarning. It could do with serious editing. 

BELLY FLOP

Watchable. This 5-minute-long cartoon is a simple story of envy at a swimming pool. The ending boosting a fat black girl's confidence is simplistic. But it's a light holiday film.

AL DJANAT, PARADIS ORIGINEL (AL DJANAT - THE ORIGINAL PARADISE)

Switched off. Whereas "Our fathers managed to restrain their women. They kept them in line." speaks volumes about Burkina Faso, motorbikes, tedious rent collecting and disputes on a potential sale ruin this documentary. It's French so presented as if in real time, no cutting short.

SUMARA MARE

Recommended. This short documentary encompasses all problems of Cabo Verde: poverty, hunger, men's laziness, environmental damage. Brief and to the point. 

FOR LOVE

Watchable again. No knowing immigration regulations still hinders understanding but I guess that now, having watched carefully, I know what point it ends at. 

NAPOLEON

Watchable. While it's roughly based on historical events, this shot in Malta blockbuster takes great liberty in treating historical detail, the psychology of the protagonists or social norms. Its approach is modern and American through and through. The final notes stress the 61 battles he fought cost the lives of 3 million people. But, for what we know from history, Napoleon was a Machiavellian narcissistic psychopath, Josephine is likely to have been akin to him. Instead, while Joaquin Phoenix's interpretation of the genius strategist is compelling, it's highly unlikely he'd run in fear or mumble. What stands out is interesting, Atmos-recorded,  music, best during the end credits. Lots of extras, little accuracy. Poor cinematography where everything looks the same gray. At least it's dynamic so you don't feel the 2 hours 40 minutes, the action feels sketchy rather. 

IT LIVES INSIDE

Watchable. Corridor walls turning into shiny orange almost-Netflix-logo, a teenager on a bike, 80s music hint at "Stranger Things" - I've never seen those though. This flick is reasonably scary, partly owing to perfectly surrounding sound effects, until the monster turns out to look like a home-scale Godzilla. A flesh-devouring monster feeding on negative emotions is such a horror cliche. The Indian culture set-up was promising but results in typical American supernatural scares and the culture is treated superficially with very few elements cherry-picked. The plot often fails to make sense, especially Russ's immediate death in the context of later information.

THE SACRIFICE GAME

Recommended. More of a slasher than a supernatural horror, even with a demon at the end - no monsters. The opening appears inspired by the murder on Sharon Tate: 1971, 3 men and 1 woman assault people in their houses, cut the woman's stomach. Other cultural references are "Funny Games", you also get a hotel in snow like in "The Shining". But the plot is unpredictable, you don't know till the end which way it'll turn. Jenn Wexler wrote and directed the movie. Georgia Acken as Clara is the most memorable. مينا مسعود (Mena Massoud) is the most frightening as diabolical Jude.

UWIERZ W MIKOLAJA (I BELIEVE IN SANTA)

Walked out. This 'comedy' is awfully sad and full of pathologies, poverty, alcoholism, profanities in the language, ludicrous behaviours, e.g. after hitting someone accidentally with an axe the woman punches him twice, trying to help him or something.

A FERD MED MOMMU (DRIVING MUM)

Watchable. This tragicomedy being black and white hurts the movie filled with Icelandic landscapes which normally look otherworldly in colour - here no chance was given. The story's engaging, it's a road movie, where reality mixes with dreams and visions. The dog was my favourite character, needlessly marred by the deadly accident in the middle of the film. The dog's responses to his owner are delightful. The story's certainly unusual but Jon amiable, you root for him to find freedom and joy. Funny where he finds his freedom in the end.