Movie reviews

ROZYCZKA 2 (THE SECRET OF LITTLE ROSE)

Watchable. No need to have seen the first movie. It's perfectly comprehensible even if you haven't. It also doesn't encourage you to check out the prequel. What is it about? Poland doesn't have individualism but familism, especially politicians are often judged by what their parents were or did decades earlier so in this country this bizarre plot actually makes sense. One shot wonderfully demonstrates this predicament when you see the politician's reflection in her father's portrait. The movie's in 2/3 drama, in 1/3 thriller, but fully predictable and ruined by the slow pace of seemingly modern, let alone politicians', life. In 2/3 it's sappy, which is enhanced by the music by Bartosz Chajdecki, in the last third even the music gets better. But all in all, the 106 minutes drag. 

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL

ZEEVONK (SEA SPARKLE)

Watchable. Maintained in a calm mood, it tells about daily lives on the sea in the Netherlands. Death happens but the sea is forever. Occasional glimpses of sea creatures, fantastical rather than real, attract visually at times, the rest is mundane. 

ROBOT DREAMS

Recommended. This Spanish-French animation tells about a New Yorker and his humanoid robot. Roller skates dancers were hired to create the Central Park dance scene. But the whole film is a deeply moving animation about loneliness and missing someone once you've met the right person but had to part. This mutual friendship is so deep it's more appropriate to call it love. Sorrowful but beautiful.

I was 2 minutes late and also missed the very last scene when I got distracted by a kid out of control. 

KROL (THE KING OF WARSAW) S. 1 EP. 1

Switched off. Judaism, mindless violence, Polish political history, nationalism unsettlingly resembling our times, the brutal fights of large groups resembling "Gangs of New York", modern-day-like foul language - nothing interesting or pleasant. Jewish soldiers smuggle cocaine - nonsense. 

This episode is available free of charge on Canal+ online.

MIALO CIE NIE BYC (YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE)

Recommended. The film shows how common abortion is and how many kids were born unwanted. Smart dialogue, great acting, especially by Borys Szyc and Sonia Szyc, hard issues are tackled in a light tone. There's even a decent dance choreography. It's all well-paced. 

Young director Kuba Michalczuk, direct and approachable, says we've got plenty of profound movies so he wanted to avoid moral preaching, he prefers to talk to the viewer rather.

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL

MINI LAB

A whole room with stands where you could construct a city or look for objects in a game, see how the green screen technique works in films, shoot your own videos with props or try out stop-motion animation in live filming, watch kaleidoscopes, old type animation techniques, dance to a screen responding with colours. VR consisted of short films and interactive activities: one animation charted the history of cinema, another one told a robot tale of Stanisław Lem's, you could also steer a story playing rock, paper, scissors, kayak among views from all over the world day or night in all weathers or change the surroundings with your voice. Great fun. All the activities took about 1.5 hours in total.

KICIA KOCIA POD CHOINKE - ZESTAW: 

KICIA KOCIA - ZIMA, KICIA KOCIA GOTUJE, KICIA KOCIA W POCIAGU, KICIA KOCIA SPRZATA, KICIA KOCIA W BIBLIOTECE, KICIA KOCIA NIE MOZE ZASNAC

Recommended. Charming Kicia Kocia gets to know the world again. This time the activities are more leisurely: playing outside, making cookies, travelling, reading and even washing root vegetables for soup and cleaning are made into the fun of exploration. 40 minutes are enough for the youngest children but I felt a tinge of regret when the series ended. It was available in Polish only.

NINA ET LE SECRET DU HERISSON (NINA AND THE HEDGEHOG'S SECRET)

Watchable. This family drama turns into an engaging crime story. It doesn't shy away from adult issues like fraud or unemployment. But the animals - nice or not - are the most fun. 

Occasional harsh jazz assaults your ears. 

ILE ZA SZTUKE? (HOW MUCH FOR ART?)

Recommended. A thorough documentary about the art market in Poland. It charts its history since the 80s, when there was none. up to now. It presents a few of the highest grossing contemporary artists, collectors, gallery owners and an auction house to put their bits to the picture of the what and how and the hardest question to answer: why. Even in this market, female artists earn 2-3 less than their male counterparts at the same stage of professional development. Attractive visually and in the sound layer, the film almost smothers you with plenty of exquisite artworks of old masters and the brave new generations. It's dynamic and bold. Superb.

WARSAW FILM FESTIVAL

CHCESZ POKOJU, SZYKUJ SIE DO WOJNY (PRAY FOR PEACE, TRAIN FOR WAR)

Switched off. OMG is it moronic. Agnieszka Elbanowska and Łukasz Czapski's script is full of low brow attempts at humour, actors are amateurish. Some weird voluntary army unit for inexplicable reason is training civilians and does so by extensive bullying. What's the purpose of this ludicrous film?! And whoever has selected it for the Warsaw Film Festival where it premiered?!

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

CHLOPI (THE PEASANTS)

Recommended. 5 years of international co-operation are paying off. It's different than "Twój Vincent" ("Loving Vincent"), since it was first shot with actors, props, on locations, then painted over and the gaps filled in. Folk music creates a unique climate to the production. But most of all, based on the Nobel-winning novel by Reymont, it's a powerful story encompassing a range of issues: some historical Polish, most versatile. Psychology of social groups lies at the core. The power struggle glues you to the screen. Deeply internalised patriarchy, people's pettiness are masterfully presented. Most harrowing though is the central story of Jagna whose beauty is her curse. It's the Polish Oscar candidate.

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL

怪物 (MONSTER) AND Q&A WITH PSYCHOLOGISTS JOANNA SZULC AND IWONA ZABIELSKA

Watchable. Directed by 是枝 裕和 (Hirokazu Kore-eda) so quite dull. A more complex version of Belgian "Close" if you get to the point. But at face value it's a story of school bullying. It's told thrice, from 3 points of view. The 2nd already clarifies a lot. The essence of the truth is gradually revealed in the 3rd. So structure-wise it's like Korean "아가씨" ("The Handmaiden") but much more ordinary. The thing is this movie's not about an intrigue. It's rather the same mundane story told from different perspectives. And that means everyone involved, in fact more than just 3 people, sees it differently and each person has their own problem. Seemingly about kids, those behaviours are true for adults too. Nearly everyone turns out to be good which is comforting and kind-of brings back faith in humans.

A highly expert analysis by the two lady psychologists followed the screening. The most interesting observations were: by child psychologist Joanna Szulc: "He accuses the teacher who will neither exact revenge nor will get hurt." and that for both single parents "a disease" labels "otherness".

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

The closing movie was:

HA'MISHLAHAT (DELEGATION)

Watchable. Israeli teenagers on a school tour of shoah reminders travel through Poland. They're preoccupied with their flings, they sing, joke, occasionally mention their future plans. The past only reaches them fleetingly when they're made listen to survivors' testimonies and when death camp visits jug their imagination. Most don't give any thought to it, some decide to experience contemporary Poland on their own or locate the past horror among modern silly activities. The grandfather's never finished tale starts with him being in love, just like some teenage protagonists are. All the film says is that youngsters' love affairs and desire for fun outweigh the burden of mementos. Not too bad a flick for compulsory school groups but I can't see much of any other target audience.