NUEVO ORDEN (NEW ORDER) - WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER MICHEL FRANCO Q&A

I'm quoting his words either verbatim or cutting his utterances short: "In a way it's a cautionary tale." Michel Franco started writing the script seeing the far right rising first in Europe, next in the US. He's aware a film can't fix things but believes it can start a discussion. And this one has. It was a big success in Mexico but divided people along the same lines as in the film. 50/50 viewers were for/against the movie. It's become the centre of discussion for many weeks and there's ongoing debate. He likes and has faith in people individually but questions group behaviour. "The world is going in the wrong direction and no one is trying to prevent it." There are 70 million poor people in Mexico. Europe is getting the 3rd vaccination dose, most of Africa has had none. Cases of Peru, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela - "as we speak" - have shown that the rule of the military leads to nothing good. He said: "I couldn't care less about politics" but admitted many issues come down to it. Asked about whether violence has a gender, he admitted: "In Mexico it's more dangerous to be a woman than a man. You can be raped or killed just for being a woman." He referred in jest to the ambassador present in the room as he'd be able to confirm what the Mexican reality is and continued explaining his point of view on gender: in hard times women are more brave, men calculate more and are cowards. In Sarajevo what women had to go through is worse than the war itself. In the film Victor represents politics. As for the director himself, he's 42 years old and was born into a privileged class. He believes that a small percentage of Mexicans owns so much they could give away a small percentage of their wealth. The poor have no way to alter their fate. It's like with the French Revolution, there's a small elite and it's going to explode. Chile or Black Lives Matter's slogan "Eat the Rich" corroborate his point. The world's biggest problem is social disparity and the lack of the will to change it. In the film, as usual in life but rare in movies, the good ones pay the highest price. His movies generally end bad but he'd love to change that. He tries not to show all the killings because an ongoing shock would tire people, it's better to leave space for imagination, he tries to show as little violence as possible. The created world may be dystopian but the burning of bodies, rapes, disappearances are nothing new. "I think the movie isn't very violent, it's just a small piece." "I like the cinematic challenge of pushing to the extreme." "A movie should be complex enough, even contradict itself." - he trusts the intelligence of the audience. At the same time, "It was such a big effort" to make the movie. Achieving credibility with low budget was the hardest. The story starts with a wedding, because such an event showcases social disparities. Former militaries acted in the scenes in the barracks so he didn't need to direct them but e.g. at lunch he wouldn't mix the military with actors. The actors understood the idea, they all thought: "How come it's not happening?" In his view, the status quo won't last. In the film he included references to books, mostly by Vargas Llosa, "Blindness" by Saramago or "1984" but also a reference to the still shots of the Yellow Vests and the damages after a weekend of their protests. As for the green paint, it's the colour of the Mexican flag, it's also very cinematic, e.g. the water in the tap, which leaves doubt as to whether the woman has seen it or has imagined it. It helped showing the spread of the revolt as well. He concluded it had been the longest Q&A session he'd ever had - over an hour - but he found it flattering.

My own European impression is that the movie does contain a number of gruesome images and I don't see the class issues as big problems but we don't have such huge economic disparities here, most of the population is middle-class and we're exposed to much less violence in Poland than in Central or South America. 

THE WAR WITH GRANDPA

Recommended again. "The War with Grandpa" rocks! All the actors, whether young or old, famous or unknown, give strong performances. Situation humour, e.g. when the granddad hangs on the window pants down, and witty lines sounding even better in the translation than in English, since it makes use of Polish language puns, make this comedy a compelling escape. This time I spotted some subtle clues to Robert de Niro's earlier movies, e.g. "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull" and "The Irishman". And the parental tips from the movie make sense too.

УРОКИ ФАРСИ (PERSIAN LESSONS)

Recommended. The opening informs you the main protagonist is going to survive but the gripping story, with a number of twists maintaining tension, makes you quickly forget this certainty. The movie's Russian-Belarusian but you forget that in the first minute, so much effort has been put into language credibility when the characters speak French, German or Italian. Hairstyles of the time disguise them further. Plot-wise, not only is the story unusual, also Nazis are presented as individual people, with their own personalities, dreams and aspirations, not a mass embodying evil as it's common in other films of the genre. Technically, the sound is so authentic at some point I thought someone fell asleep in the audience since snoring surrounded me perfectly but it was just a night scene with people sound asleep in the barrack. Smart dialogue is the icing on the cake.

CZY POTWORY JEDZA KIWI?

Watchable. This short film is a family drama which makes you guess whether it's the boy that 

externalises his fears or whether his brother pretends to be a monster or whether there's a real creature hiding in his wardrobe. Uninspiring but with one funny exchange: "Przecież nie otwieram szafy." "To skąd bierzesz ubrania?" "Z wczoraj." ("But I don't open the wardrobe." "So where do you take your clothes from?" "From yesterday.")

It was funnier on set. The kid actor would even steal batteries when the director left the room. Director Paweł Podolski clarifies: "To nie jest tak, że Gustaw nałogowo kradnie baterie." ("It's not that Gustaw is addicted to stealing batteries.") The kid would rather ask: "Co to jest?" ("What is this?") and the director would answer: "To powinno być w kamerze." ("This should be in the camera.")

RAISA

Watchable on the big screen. This short film, which was too boring to see on my computer, gains value at the cinema. It's visually pleasant enough and the protagonist is an impressively positive person. Still, it's low-key, tenuous in how unremarkable the woman is and filmed stiffly - with few locations and events. It's not even stated clearly why Raisa got the refugee status. 

It was only in the Q&A that I was told she had suffered violence from her husband and her country - Chechnya -  didn't offer her protection. The director used to live on emigration herself so the subject matter was close to her.

ZBYT AMERYKANSKI FILM

Watchable. This short film is a Polish cartoon with the action set in America. To me it looked like a western but not entirely comprehensible due to some abstract developments.

The director grew up watching Cartoon Network in the 90s and took the grotesque from there. One of the first opinions about the film was uttered by someone from the commission going through the application: "It's too American." As for the director, he likes Texas, Arizona: blue sky, yellow sand everywhere, some reds. He's got a full-time job creating graphics for marketing but on the side he's got a plan for a new film inspired by "Les triplettes de Belleville" ("The Triplets of Belleville").

KULISY (BACKSTAGE)

Watchable. This short film stands out in terms of cinematography and composition as it offers a glimpse into an unknown world of colours, shapes and hard labour at the backstage of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw. The director doesn't like talking heads in documentaries so no words are spoken which works here. The film ends with the workers' portraits placed in the colours they have been working with. Fine when treated like a moving painting. Less so as a film since it lacks action and feels dull in spite of vivid hues.

GES

Watchable. This tenuous short film offers an excellent cinematographic opening and ending, where an undulating landscape of a fabric ripples in the wind with the accompaniment of Arabic music. The director likes a handheld camera - I don't so to me the long middle part doesn't look too clear. The story's a thriller mixed with a family drama so it's hard to get the point. 

This film is shown at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.

FLUKTEN OVER GRENSEN (THE CROSSING)

Recommended. A gripping full-length story of kids smuggling two Jewish children across the Norwegian-Swedish border during the war. Intense, dramatic, with lots of suspense. One adult character resembles the witch from a gingerbread hut in the fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel crossed with a real-life Nazi woman I've read about (she first invited home and fed Jewish children and next killed them all). Magnificently acted by adults and kids alike. In Poland the movie has a Polish voice over.

NUEVO ORDEN (NEW ORDER)

Recommended. Even the typography of the title consists of reverted letters. Unsettling images in the opening are followed by a vision of the near future which seems the natural progression from "기생충" ("Parasite"), had it been Mexican. But this one is not amusing in the slightest. The vision of the class revolution - or is it a class one? - is grim and harrowing. It'll be disturbing for women and men, the rich and the poor alike. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, shocking you with the evil, deception and unpredictability of characters. Perfect script, convincing acting, immaculate use of locations intensify the social horror. And no, the movie synopsis will not suffice, you need to experience it at the cinema.

NYMPHOMANIAC: VOL. II 

Recommended. This part sees her suffer: physically - the movie pushes the boundaries further in part two - and emotionally. As engaging and thought-provoking as part one. Keeps you glued to the screen. 

BABARDEALA CU BUCLUC SAU PORNO BALAMUC (BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN)

Recommended. The new outing by Radu Jude sees him return with a bang (pun intended). It opens with racy content which makes you wonder at which sordid direction the case will fork. Having walked out from director Radu Jude's earlier "Sieranevada" I was apprehensive. But this one is immediately better since, instead of having all the characters stuck in one flat, the protagonist roams the city, letting you make your own observations of Romania. In my case that was mostly admiration of DDM observance in the society but also an astonishment at the obscenity and aggression of some men in daily life. Go with the flow and something wicked will come your way. Next part sets together facts, some seemingly trivial, resulting in social and historical commentary on human nature. The finale deals with the opening racy content, highlights hypocrisy showing in many ways and is going to have traditionalists frothing at the mouth. The whole thing is thought-provoking, astute and intellectual - contrary to what one might expect from the title.

GAGARINE

Recommended. Cinematographic and sound mastery render the movie a cinema essential. A seemingly ordinary gigantic council block of flats shot from below (pedestrians from above), from the sides or, at some point, with the background removed, the sound occasionally muted, once suddenly perfectly surrounding, but also culminating in the roar of a take-off make the block resemble a spaceship. When you get to think of it, numerous parallels can be drawn. The story's one of having a dream - one reaching the stars - here presented in a stunning scene where a teenager organizes an eclipse watching for the dwellers. It's also about the human kind conquering the space while many inhabitants of Earth have appalling living conditions. And one of life which on the one hand you want to separate yourself from and on the other which effectively isolates you against your own will. The movie blew me away. The song accompanying the end credits kept playing in my head after leaving the cinema.

MISTRZ (THE CHAMPION)

Recommended. First Teddy's arrival in Auschwitz is juxtaposed with reminiscences of his past life which gradually introduces you to the protagonist's new reality and sets the mood. Next you witness several atrocities of the concentration camp. Then the champion emerges. Top-notch cinematography and sound effects engulf you. The plot provides not only tension but also tender moments and even one funny punch during a boxing match. Strong performances, graphic images of unspoken brutality and the gripping human story with a number of twists are powerful. As if you were there. 

CZARNY MLYN (THE BLACK MILL)

Watchable. A depressing story of people whose lives are only going from bad to worse, first realistically, later by means of some strange force. And it drags, especially the last act which is little short of ridiculous in itself. I only kept watching because it was so weird I took the bait and wanted to know what happens next. Nothing good did. Whoever writes such tales?! For kids, on top of that. 

REMINISCENCE

Watchable. The set-up and the plot idea are fine but the execution overly nostalgic and sentimental. Some bits don't make sense, e.g. why can't they wear bathing suits in the tanks?

The crime plot is overly complicated and confusing as to who and in whose reminiscence. The criminals are over the top. At least the two main protagonists are wonderfully portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson. Surrounding sound effects make it cinema worthy. And the music theme by Ramin Djawadi is fantastic.

GUNDA

Watchable. Produced by Joaquin Phoenix. The use of black and white exclusively distinguishes it from nature documentaries. The camera, constantly pointed at farm animals: pigs, hens, cows brings you closer to their world than ever before. If only we could see the surroundings with their eyes as well, the picture would be complete. No words or music, just the sounds of nature recorded in Atmos. The sow's eyes or the piglets' frolicking resemble dogs', cows run freely like horses or munch on tree leaves like elks. Such unexpected connotations occurred to me. Yet it's predominantly the beauty of these animals as themselves presented on the big screen. Did you know that a newborn piglet is the size of its mother's snout? The documentary's lengthy though.

A-HA

Recommended. I wasn't a big fan of theirs but I recognized many songs immediately, so ingrained in pop culture they are. London, determination, talent are the key ingredients of success. In this case London proves to be the centre of the world - in pop music terms at least, the band's path to fame was rocky in spite of their unrelinquished spirit, Morten Harket's inborn look and voice skills as well as the flair for music they all share. The documentary comprises a complete history of the band, the relationship between the three members, 

the creative process, especially behind the "Take On Me" music and video, the three guys' musical inspirations as well as their impact on other bands. The film makes sure you'll  appreciate Morten's incredible vocal range. Last but not least, it's filled with music and the songs kept playing in my head long afterwards.

ZEBY NIE BYLO SLADOW (LEAVE NO TRACES)

Recommended. The 2 hours 40 minute long movie surprised me with how engaging it was. I didn't expect it from the director behind "Cicha noc" ("Silent Night") which I had walked out from. But this story is based on facts, cut by Poland's top editor Przemysław Chruścielewski and keeps you on the edge of your seat from early minutes. The battering takes place early and the rest is the whole depiction of one year when justice should have been done. There are some hints at the contemporary politics in the country which will be easily picked up on by the audience. Director Jan P. Matuszyński makes a cameo as the radio speaker.

NAJMRO (THE GETAWAY KING)

Watchable. It purports to be a biopic but only 10% is based on facts, the rest has been seriously vamped up. Mateusz Rakowicz delivers a fast-paced crime comedy that grips until the end and has famed criminal Najmro trying to win over his love interest with slick people skills. There was no love relationship in real life, that's completely made up. The few true elements are: the number of escapes, the fact he was pardoned by Wałęsa, tried to run from court, broke out of prison through a tunnel, used to rob Pewex stores using posters. Zdzisław Najmrodzki's movie equivalent is shrewd and cocky, the story's jaunty and unforeseeable, with a pinch of salt but mostly with astute observations on the changing times. Shot in an international blockbuster manner but set firmly in Poland. Polish music hits of the depicted years place you at a given time. The cinema interior shown in the film is Warsaw's Elektronik cinema so watching the movie there gives you an extra kick. The production's sepia-toned, unusual for the presentation of the 80s-early 90s. Old cars, better or worse imitations of period fashion attempt to set the scene but the historical aspect is more about the types of crime and political change after the fall of communism and that's depicted successfully. Extraordinary cinematography applies slow motion or shots at varying angles. However, excessive use of editing results in some make-believe scenes. Also some of the dialogue isn't clearly audible.

GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE

Watchable. Tacky at first and contrived but the mother-daughter relationship is touching, the tunes melodious and recorded in Atmos. Also, once the trio reaches the library, the characters become more authentic and the finale is feminist. All in all, an innocuous, even if fully-loaded, de-brainer. Some of the world creation is a cheap imitation of "John Wick". The plot's simplistic but engaging enough.

THE END

Watchable. The producers clearly had more dough than reason. Opulent interiors, luxurious cars, beautiful naked women - lots of effort put into the set design and episodes. But the script by Adam Cioczek, Robert Ziębiński and Tomasz Mandes is rubbish, the dialogues downright stupid - celebs bitch each other at any chance - and full of swearing. The main cast act just enough to present the starlets and numpties they impersonate. I didn't walk out just because of those posh interiors I rarely get a chance to see. If the plot had meant to say anything about the film industry and celebrities, it should have been way smarter. 

FESTIWAL POLSKICH FILMOW FABULARNYCH (POLISH FILM FESTIVAL IN GDYNIA)

Last year online only, this year mostly in Gdynia, 20-25 September. Some tourists have made the event their regular and travel to Gdynia at the time specifically for the reason. Usually 50 movies are submitted for the main competition, this year 46, in spite of the pandemic.18 screening rooms in the city will show the festival offer. Short films, microbudget productions, outside the competition ones and discussions will take place online. Some of the productions have been reviewed on my blog already. "Mój syn zamyka się w łazience" ("My Son Locks Himself in the Bathroom") and "Stancja" ("The Last Room on the Left") - I'm rooting for this one - will be in the short film competition. Nothing from Gdynia Film School because admissions are every two years so etudes are made biannually. Studio Munka, for graduates, is represented. Małgorzata Szumowska presides over the jury. 5 films are in the microbudget competition. Swedish director working in Poland Magnus von Horn presides over it. 16 movies in the main competition, including "Ciotka Hitlera" ("Hitler's Aunt"), "Najmro", "Zupa nic" ("Back Then "), "Źeby nie było śladów" ("Leave No Traces") by Jan Matuszyński whose first film won the competition. Platynowe Lwy (Platinum Lions) will be awarded by SFP (the Polish Filmmakers Association) to Agnieszka Holland, 3-time festival winner. Żuławski's "Na Srebrnym Globie" ("On the Silver Globe") is going to be screened among classics (the 1988 version after reconstruction), along with 4 short films based on Stanisław Lem's prose. Polonica will include "Wolka" by director Árni Ólafur Ásgeirsson, educated in Poland. Other festival offerings are: "Amatorzy", "Po złoto" ("Going for Gold"), "Spacer z aniołami" ("Walk With Angels"). Events will focus on old-timers.

18TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FESTIVAL

SIEDEM POKOI (SEVEN ROOMS)

Recommended. Seven budding filmmakers have created a professionally looking documentary which offers a glimpse into other people's lives during the first lockdown as they're attempting to spend the time pleasantly and meaningfully: from large flat screens through scrabble to dress-ups and tango. You see young couples in love, a dying grandpa, a cute rabbit. The films are moving, on one occasion funny: "Your friend is kasza" "She's Kasia (kasza is a type of food). The whole production is heart-warming, shot at the time when people cared about one another.

PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE

Recommended. A light and cheerful animated actioner with antropomorphized dog protagonists where Chase goes through the same insecurities young children often experience so the tale is perfectly relatable for kids. Adventure City Mayor Humdinger must be a deliberate send-up of Donald Trump since he's blonde, resides in Humdinger Heights and refuses to leave the tower which is about to tumble down. Nearly al the songs are in the English original, the dialogues are dubbed in Polish in this country. Atmos sound facilitates immersing yourself in the adventure. 

NYMPHOMANIAC: VOL. I

Recommended. There is some racy content that the title implies but it's predominantly a captivating psychological thriller. The star-studded cast includes Charlotte Gainsbourg, Uma Thurman, Christian Slater, Stellan Skarsgard, Shia LaBeouf but the lead is Stacy Martin, all strong performances in original roles. The movie explores the psyche of a female sex addict from early years into adulthood. Unique.

3RD WARSAW ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL

MAIN COMPETITION - SPACE-TIME

More traditional animations in style and form. 12 watchable: "Winter", "Prey", "Turtle Bay", "Train to nowhere", "To the dusty sea" and the ones mentioned below, I switched off 1. 

A TINY TALE

Watchable. The best in the set.

THE CRANE FACTORY 

CELL

Watchable. Both films have interesting stories but are too simple animation-wise.

MOUTHFUL OF WATER

THE SPACE MAIL

Watchable. These two were the worst, like by first grade students.

TURNING TO SELF-SURGERY: A TRANSGENDER WOMAN'S JOURNEY

Watchable. A powerful story but basic animation, also, the story didn't require any visuals at all since it's all told in the narrative.

THE DECEASED

Switched off. The Israeli film was basically a bad music musical. 

SEEKER

Watchable. Less impressive either when seen again or on the small screen.

GREEN ON SCREEN - IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

12 watchable: "A little two much", "The Fourth Raven", "The Edge", "Wasteminster: A Downing Street Disaster", "Proving Ground", "Bottomed out holidays", "Escape Artist", "Mother Earth - From The Womb To The Tomb", "CITSALP", "Sandal" and the two which stood out, in a good way or in a bad way, so I mentioned them below, 4 recommended.

SOUNDS BETWEEN THE CROWNS

Watchable. Pleasant, especially the cute raccoon in the ending.

MY MOTHER'S PAIN

Watchable. About motherhood - can't even remember the animation, it was so insignificant, the verbal narrative says it all.

THE MONKEY KING

Recommended. Lovely animation, looking like Disney of the old times, in bright colours and telling a local legend.

DISPARUS (THIN ICE)

Recomended. Colours, reflections in water, ice in varying hues. An outrageous story.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES

Recommended. The story's told from two perspectives: a child's and a father's which is enlightening. The tale is constructed out of dolls and little models. You just feel like you want to meet both protagonists and hang out in their living-room.

MESSAGES FROM THE WILD - THE EARTHWORM

Recommended. An interview with an earthworm!

MAIN COMPETITION - BE INVOLVED

9 watchable: "Cut Off in Mid-Sentence", "Blink in the Desert", "May the World Not Carry You", "Om", "Lines", "Thank you", "Housewives", "Animators For Belarus" and the one below, 3 recommended.

PRAKTYCZNY PLAN (MR PRACTICAL)

Recommended. An instruction on why you need a cat and how to get to love your cat once you get one. Entertaining.

NIGHT BUS

Recommended. A Chinese short film with a handful of unforeseeable twists of action and complex characters. Shockingly brutal, the gore and violence are graphic but the tale meets your sense of justice. The most scary film of the whole festival, had better be in the horror set. 

HAVE A NICE DOG!

Watchable. A fascinating world, with a mystery of what is going on in the country. The story's incomplete though.

CONSTRUCT 42

Recommended. Top-notch visuals in this science fiction short with plenty of mystique.

MAIN COMPETITION - ESCAPE ROOM

The set comprised of slow-paced offerings. 8 watchable: "Candy Can", "Love in the times of coal-based economy", "The Grave of Saint Oran", "The Beautiful One Has Come", "The Stork", "Tom", and the two below, switched off 2. 

VOLVER (RETURN)

REDUCTION

Switched off. Both films drag badly and it's hard to make out the story. 

DZIEWCZYNA Z FILMU PORNO (THE GIRL FROM THE PORNO MOVIE)

Watchable. Disturbing but takes you into the mind of an incel. Poor music and animation.

PUSH THIS BUTTON IF YOU BEGIN TO PANIC

Switched off. Nonsensical. And it dragged.

UCIECZKA NA SREBRNY GLOB (ESCAPE TO THE SILVER GLOBE)

Watchable. It's a documentary about Andrzej Żuławski's troubled shooting of "Na srebrnym globie" ("On the Silver Globe"). Too many dispensable shots muddle the story. There is nothing about his fascination with SF. I wonder if he was into the genre or not and why he picked this old book, by another Żuławski, probably generations back. We hear of the director's father - must be Mirosław - who was a writer. The book isn't his but Jerzy's. So why he decided to adapt this one remains unexplained. Instead, a number of films by Andrzej Wajda and Żuławski's other movies are discussed. His losing his love to another man is said to have played a role in his devoting himself completely to the movie. But nothing is told about what person he had been in his ruined relationship. When it finally gets to the eponymous production - the most fascinating part of this documentary, you basically learn what shooting looked like back then. I also personally enjoyed the little story about a magical African artefact.

3RD WARSAW ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL

ANIMATED HORROR - SCREAM ON SCREEN

16 watchable: "Pandora", "The Dead Hands of Dublin", "Monster Encounters", "The Beholder", "And The Moon Stands Still", "DeLinsky's Madness", "Thank You For Your Teeth!", "The coming winter", "The Other Gods", "Purgatory", "Mattricide", "Io", "Winter", "Detektive Thumb and the Infinity House" and the two which stand out:

THIS IS ONLY GETTING WORSE

Watchable. The set-up with 'The Rift' sucking up the surroundings is promising but ruined by the lame ending.

THE EXPECTED

Watchable. This one was just as engaging but when the foreboding events are turned into a dreamscape or turn out to be a nightmare - however you interpret the ending - it disappoints.

None of the 16 films was truly scary. "Night Bus" from a non-horror section had frightened me more. 

MAIN COMPETITION - OVERTHINKING

10 watchable: "Morning Grass", "Half Dreaming", "Full Circle", "Don't Go", "Extravagantly Ordinary Night", "Macchina", "Cycle" and the three below, 2 recommended, I switched off 1.

RUBIK'S CUBE

Watchable. An ingenious concept and food for thought at the same time - do we set and re-set our brains the way we do with Rubik's cube. The lame ending looks like the author had no better idea. Still, the main message is inspiring.

BORING

Watchable. Ingenious use of perspective. Still, not enough of an idea for a film.

KOREAN FLIGHT 858

Recommended. The evocative imagery is compelling in its own right. And then you discover it happened for real. 

JANE

Watchable. A deeply moving story but would do as a short story just as well. No animation needed for that. 

MIGRANTS

Recommended again. I'm upholding what I said before and just adding that the polar bears' movements are wonderfully copied after real animals.

GIRLS TALK ABOUT FOOTBALL

Switched off. Very basic animation and boring blabber on football.

VOLDA UNIVERSITY

The Norwegian selection of films spanning several years consists of 12 watchable productions: "MRDH Volda 1992", "Something Witchy", "Badekjerringen", "Revolution", "Hijack 139", an untitled one, "Have You Seen My Pants?", "the tale of the Deceptive Dog", "Norske Grønnsaker" ("Norwegian Vegetables"), "Saudade", "The End Is Neigh" and

SAIVA

Watchable. On Sami traditions. It's uplifting that Norwegians acknowledge them.

FURIOZA

Watchable. The Polish feature on football hooligans is thoroughly entertaining, with top-notch lines, decent cinematography, excellent actors, fine music, quality sound, a well researched and created world - I'm taking the director's word for the research. Minor fight errors, meaning nonsensical moves or a lack of thereof, don't hinder the enjoyment. Unfortunately the storyline's not fully comprehensible - why does the policewoman lose her badge? And is Golden still alive? - dark pictures prevent you from seeing well who stabs the protagonist in the finale. Another downside is the constant deja vu - it's a copy and remix of Patryk Vega's movies: the humour type, extreme brutality, some scenes. Very good yet derivative.

The producer says they accumulated a big budget, the production was bankrolled without state support. I can see it's resulted in quality rare in Polish cinema.

3RD WARSAW ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL

MAIN COMPETITION - ODD LIFEFORMS

9 watchable: "Millennium", "Any Instant Whatever", "Dream", "Buddies", "Shift Simmers Slips", "Displaced", "Mother", "Dream Vehicle", "Pilar", 5 recommended:

THE SAM STORY

Recommended. An incredible true life story which shows we've been programmed for life, our actions are not up to us. 

ELUSIVENESS

Recommended. Wonderfully presented Serbian folklore: from handicraft to a fairy-tale.

CHASING STARS

Recommended. Fairy-tale animation, including swimming with a beluga whale - a pure dream.

AS MOSCAS (FORSAKEN TO THE FLIES) 

Recommended. A horror-like effect of a real life genetic experiment.

RE-ANIMAL

Recommended. A witty crime story ridiculing Spanish national qualities. The sleuth has an 'Axel F' ringtone - the memorable theme of "Beverly Hills Cop". The film's a little macabre but the idea's truly original and justice is served. A striking finale. Up to the last line.

MAIN COMPETITION - STREAM YOUR DREAM

12 watchable: "Opus Magnum", "Nude Triumphant", "Marysia's Mum's memories of fairy tales told by grandma", "The Call", "Selection Process", "Sheep, Wolf and a Cup of Tea...", "Through their eyes: The fight for every child's freedom", "Al Tabbab", "The Elephant", "The Infinite" and the two below, 2 recommended.

UN COEUR D'OR (HEART OF GOLD)

Recommended. A powerful tale on bodyism, ageism, plastic surgery, transplants, on men governing women's bodies, transhumanism and humanism, and on what constitutes a mother.

TIME O' THE SIGNS

Watchable. Varied animation forms, 'myseum' or 'you calendar' in Google-style colour typography, end credits become 'Social Credit System' - worth seeing again to catch more details.

BOSCOMBE BOUND

Watchable. On a lockdown - you can easily relate to and compare your experiences with the protagonists. I was astonished that someone misses crowds, "rubbing shoulders with people". Others do new stuff or what they've always wanted.

COMME UN FLEUVE (FLOWING HOME)

Recommended. The Vietnamese film is a heart-wrenching account of being a refugee as well as of a war and its aftermath.

As I watched most of the sections online, I must praise the excellent sound quality - rare in online screenings, here nearly all films were loud enough to watch from a distance and the sound was top-notch. As for subtitles, they were typically white and small on often light backgrounds, of little use unless you were sitting right in front of the computer. The festival featured short animations from virtually all continents, only African, Oceanian and Antarctican were missing. The division into sections seems pretty random but within the sets the films were lined up in a way that ensured a gamut of styles and topics and guaranteed a succession of delights. The festival opened up to me the world of human creativity and diversity of thought.

18TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FESTIVAL

The festival started on Friday, first at cinemas, next some films will be available in the online part of the event - the list will be announced on 13th September that is one day after the cinema part is over. 1352 cinema screenings are on offer at the festival. That's more than at Berlinale. From next year the city of Łódź will host the event as well. Last year the festival had more than 170 000 viewers. For the second time the organizers have achieved a 50:50 male to female ratio in the main competition - accidentally, not on purpose. As for the Polish competition, it includes:

"Ucieczka na Srebrny Glob" ("Escape to the Silver Globe") - Kuba Mikurda has psychoanalytical background and claims that what we don't show in profile pictures is more important. The pandemic meant he used archives: Polish, French, Italian more than shooting days. The film's in Polish and French. Obtaining consents took long but within 2.5 years they managed to get the whole thing done.

"Polaków portret własny" ("Polish Self-Portrait") - shot by students during the pandemic. Diverse protagonists: from the south and from the north, cities and countryside all turned out to be similar.

"Bukolika" ("Bucolic") - shot in a Mazovian village to show people who are invisible because of our ignorance but who can offer more to the world than we can to theirs.

"Ostatnie pokolenie" ("The Last Generation") - about climate activists.

"Herbert - barbarzyńca w ogrodzie" ("Herbert. A Barbarian in the Garden") - by Polish-French director Rafael Lewandowski now working in France on a film about the Algerian war. Apparently Herbert's works are still popular in many countries and the festival offering is about this Polish poet. 

"W Centrum Komiksu" ("Comic Book Shop") - made by fans. 

"Furia" ("Fury") - a sports film, about MMA fighter Aleksandra Rola. There'll be meetings with her and the director.

"Już tu nie wrócę" ("Never Coming Back") - 4 years-worth of shooting in a youth educational centre. 

"7-My Sierpnia" ("7th of August") - most of the films are premieres but this one was shown at two other festivals before, I've written about it here too.

"Pozdrawiam" ("Bless You") - Sankt Petersburg in the beginning of the pandemic, Polish producer, Russian director.

"Seal Story" - the director is the protagonist, stuck in Iceland during the pandemic, alone in a building resembling the empty hotel in "The Shining".

"Halo Babciu" ("Hello Grandma") - a pandemic film, about people stuck home with capering brats.

"Omar. Jak nie być innym" ("Omar. How Not To Be Different") - about a Polish Tatar.

Remarkable festival guests include: Mads Brügger, the director behind "The Mole" on North Korea, Nathan Grossman who followed Greta Thunberg and her father touring summits, Camilla Nielsson who directed "President" about Mugabe's handover of power. 

FILM BALKONOWY (THE BALCONY MOVIE)

Recommended. What a range of individuals, all quick-witted both in their responses and questions, from the far right to the far left, from the newly born to the ones readying themselves for death, some extrovert, some introvert, inhabit Warsaw's Saska Kępa! This is where I live so I enjoyed spotting some familiar faces. The protagonists are ordinary folk you can relate to. Some scenes are funny, e.g. a building caretaker planting a flag using a broom as support. Owing to the wide scope of characters and their intimate, insightful portraiture it's a sort of film that forever changes your perception of people. The film's compelling and personal. Beautifully filmed too. 

Paweł Łoziński interviewed 2000 passersby on 165 shooting days over 2,5 years. He picked this method instead of the usual running with the camera. So he didn't need any casting or making calls. After a year of editing to select the most emotional, funny, engaging or bizarre ones about 80 interlocutors got into the film. The director is a positive person, he says: "people are fantastic, sensitive". He's still living in Walecznych Street and listening into the street, he's got addicted.

Update: I'm appalled that the director doesn't wear a mask inside which is against the law.