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FROM SHOCK TO AWE

Recommended. There are 2.7 m combat veterans in the U.S. and as many as 20% suffer from PTSD. 22 a day commit suicide. They end up taking huge amounts of medication, e.g. 90 types over 4 years, many of which are hard prescription drugs. The human stories presented in the film are touching, the people are damaged by having had to kill people, not been able to save their companions or lateral child casualties. Having been first deployed at a young age, they don't know another life. A car tailing them on a busy road, a flash of light in a house, a lack of walls all seem threatening. And, as one of them says, there are far more PTSD sufferers in the civil society. What's more, unlike amphetamine or methadone, MDMA or ayahuasca release the symptoms.The film has been bankrolled by some society promoting the use of psychedelics. Still, the veteran relieved of the recurring fears, is convincing and moving. The former combat soldiers are all downright human and vulnerable inside. That makes for a compelling viewing.

I hope the main festival will be broadcast louder and with more visible subtitles. Now I had to sit close to the computer to hear well enough and the subtitles had an inconvenient font and were white on often light backgrounds. 

CRACKDOWN ON CIVIL SOCIETY

Recommended. The 29-minute film covers a number of NGOs in a few countries. While most provide clean needles to drug addicts, some help e.g. Russian prostitutes targeted by fascists where the police failed to protect them when the hooligans made them walk the street stark naked. Poland in turn, is mentioned because of raids on organizations helping female victims of domestic violence and supporting LGBT. Not only are the cases shocking, the fact my country features in a short documentary on violating human rights, speaks volumes.

This film had very good sound even online.

THE TRIAL

Recommended. The short film puts you on the backstage of the Guantanamo detainees' trials. From the legal point of view, it's all outrageous, e.g. a movie director had access to the classified CIA files the Guantanamo detainees' defense counsels were refused. On the other hand, the attorneys are very committed. They even cook Middle Eastern food for the accused. Shock mixes with awe.

The screening was too quiet again.

НОВАЯ (NOVAYA)

Switched off. Firstly, most of it isn't comprehensible if you're not familiar with Russian internal and external affairs. Secondly, the camera just follows the editorial team in their office: talking heads, just a few rooms - tiring.

While all screenings had their start times, you could pause and renew watching which was very convenient. The biggest problem was that all had small subtitles.

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TRZY SZTUKI W ANTARKTYCE

Recommended. Phenomenal. Stunning scenery. A lot of underwater footage, e.g. a few minutes of a sea leopard diving took 6 hours to shoot while immersed in water. A bizarre outdoor concert with seals in the first row. Impressive koloid photography. Experimental electronic music. Most of all though, it's just the beauty of the world's coldest continent.

While I would personally prefer unlimited access to the films during the festival instead of specific times, it worked relatively well. No breaks between the films were scheduled but once you started watching, it didn't expire if you made pauses, e.g. for meals. From day 2 the screenings were loud enough. The films varied in quality, the awarded ones weren't the best in my view. A common denomination of the whole festival selection seems to be their usually slow pace and top-notch cinematography in a number of films. 

HUMAN DOC FESTIVAL ONLINE

The conversation with professor Malinowski from University of Warsaw before "Można panikować" ("It's OK to Panic") was quiet and with small subtitles (both languages were translated) but very interesting. The professor first justly noticed that the cheapest solution to prevent a pandemic would have been to cut off everyone coming from Wuhan in the first place. Then they got to the point of climate change and confusion it causes. The exchange of stoves can improve air quality but will have no impact on the climate. Huge environmental organizations didn't support the production financially and the director didn't profit from the film. Sociologists say that all the world's great changes were triggered by a minority, not majority. 3-4% of involved population is enough. We're still far from such numbers.

MOZNA PANIKOWAC (IT'S OKAY TO PANIC)

Recommended. The documentary on climate change is self-critical. Professor Malinowski starts with remarking on the amount of CO2 emissions the film production will generate and adds that computers use up 10% of all electricity. Next it shocks you with predictions that 80% of the next generation won't survive and that we all have just a few decades left. The rest is full of smart observations on life. Intelligent entertainment about an upcoming real life horror. 

SCIANA CIENI (THE WALL OF SHADOWS)

Recommended. The mesmerising views of the mountains are worth seeing the film in their own right. But then comes a realization that the Sherpa has climbed Mt. Everest nine times and who gets applauded? Westerners. Each time. Also the locals' acting on what they believe in as well as their work ethic is impressive. They get a raw deal in life, as the case of their son's education shows. On the other hand both story lines: of the Sherpa and of the Westerners talk about one's dreams and limitations, courage to conquer and even greater courage to quit. And above all, about things greater than humans.

ACASA (ACASA, MY HOME)

Switched off. I just couldn't stand those lowlifes: children maltreat animals, adults swear, the whole pathologic family burns rubbish. They're a threat to the nature they pretend to protect. Authorities trusting them are a disgrace. Poor Romanians.

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THE UNDAMAGED

Watchable. With this film this year's festival continues the subject of dams on Balkan rivers and environmentalists' protests. The documentary states the investments are all Austrian and the investors adopt construction solutions which would be illegal in their own country. The whole movie is, however, quite joyful, kept in a light tone. The opening pictures are awesome visually and accompanied by ambient music. The film amazes you with beautiful scenery every now and then. All the more the dammed canal scene is tear-jerking: having seen picture-perfect translucent willow rivers along the way you are suddenly confronted with brown, muddy water. Children are perfectly environmentally aware, unlike adults who first opposed the creation of a national park, only to be forced to protest against dams now. Albania appears to be perfectly democratic nowadays. Clever, very light in tone. While I understand the rivers protection action, the film itself doesn't seem to have a direct purpose.

WIELORYB Z LORINO (WHALE FROM LORINO)

Watchable. Their lives are based on animal exploitation. Appalling treatment of animals, e.g. dogs or foxes. Poverty. At first I thought of it as of a sad film showing how such values don't transform into people's prosperity. An outdoor party - one I'd love to join myself or a handsome teacher are the only bright elements in these people's miserable lives. But then I analyzed it deeper and realized the inhabitants' attitudes reflect Maslow's pyramid of needs: sustenance comes first. The film writes into the representation of Russia known from "Copper Mountains" - a systemic neglect and a reality of poverty and helplessness. When they haul the killed humpback whale onto the shore it's almost unreal.

Director Maciej Cuske has shed more light. Firstly, the Polish film crew was so poor, in comparison to other countries', the locals decided not to help them. Chukotka itself fell into a general disrepair at the fall of the USSR. Even a greenhouse went bust. People were dying of hunger so they were allowed to hunt whales as a cheaper option than the state's support. Delivery of fruit and other goods, e.g. pasta, potatoes, old-fashioned clothes comes just once a year. The foods are at least a year past their expiry dates. School covers just 4 grades. Education earlier wasn't even needed. The wooden shack of the poor couple who talk about having it refurbished bears traces of bear nails. The Chukchi have a permit to hunt 150 whales per year while Norway or Japan a few thousand - for supposedly scientific purposes - so it's the rich countries that do it on an industrial scale. The director is clearly fascinated by Russia and dreams of going back there. 

BLIZNY (SCARS)

Recommended. Powerful. Shocking and delightful simultaneously. The topic of women Tamil Tigers fighters is attractive and I've been looking forward to see the film since I first heard of it when it won the best script award at Human Doc 2018. It does not disappoint. You hear the gruesome stories of war and survival, e.g. one woman was saved from burning by three of her subordinates, all of who got killed, one was found lying on her decapitated. And those were their life experiences when they were in their teens. The picture of them now, after the war officially ended, being invigilated, despised and even, already crippled by war, battered by husbands, made me wonder whether it's politics, human nature or local culture - a forced marriage maybe? In addition, the film stands out as an artistic creation. You get to see the refraction of light in hot weather, upside-down reflections, the constant juxtaposition of the teenagers of nowadays, e.g. eating icecream with the now-middle-aged women's memories, a train going under palm trees towards and under a ruined bridge, a snake, goddesses in temples. The film abounds in symbols and cinematic thrills.

The last movie was the best but impossible to watch from a distance due to white subtitles on frequently light background. Also the font wasn't most legible.

HUMAN DOC FESTIVAL ONLINE

COPPER MOUNTAINS

Watchable. Hazardous vapours destroying greenery and human health. People dying even in their forties. Doctors alarming of the danger. Corrupt authorities. Teenagers oblivious to the health hazards. With the situation going on for many years, when you hear of the extent of the damage to people's health, see the dilapidated buildings and learn of snow being red, you can't help but think Chelyabinsk has the misfortune of being located in Russia. Western Europe has its hazards but never that huge. Incredible that the young people of Chelyabinsk find their town beautiful. Eye-opening. Still, the picture appears quiet which detracts from the potential shocking effect.

THE HUMAN SHELTER

Recommended. I, with my partly migrant, partly nomadic past, became immediately fascinated by the topic of what makes a place home. But the film far exceeded even my expectations: splendid cinematography, awesome locations and the exploration of what constitutes home. From Norwegian Lapland where a couple moves house four times a year according to the season, a Mars habitat on Earth, an oxygen capsule in Japan, a tree house in Uganda, a shack on water in Nigerian Lagos to a refugee camp. Round the world by human shelters of all sorts. Mind-blowing. Also, outside perception often differs from how the inhabitants feel.  

COLOMBIA FUE NUESTRA (COLOMBIA IN MY ARMS)

Watchable. This documentary assumes you know the political situation and recent history of  Columbia. As a matter of fact, I started watching while racking my brain for anything I could remember about the country better known for coffee than its internal affairs. What attracted me at first was: traditional ear-catching songs performed by local ad-hoc bands so well my feet wanted to dance and wonderful cinematography: light and shadow, colours, reflections, soap bubbles, all that on top of lush greenery and impressive interiors. Also, a smart use of nature - just watch when a snake appears. In time, I connected the dots. My miserable general knowledge combined with the film explaining the mechanisms of capitalism - more important than anything in a country where the same 40 families have held all positions of power for decades and just 4 families occupied the highest positions of the state - following a steady narrative line, proved sufficient to enjoy the movie. 

All the three films were loud enough and had mostly visible subtitles - unless on light background. That's still a problem. 

SPLAT! FILM FEST ONLINE

The festival covering horror, dark fantasy, dark comedy, dark drama and even documentaries will take place online from 1 to 14 December and will be available for all Polish IP numbers. 29 full-length and 26 short films will be presented. Short ones free of charge, while a festival pass for most full-length movies is on a special Black Friday offer: upon creating an account, the first 30 people get it half-price. Generally, you have to set up an account and buy tickets for yourself only - a move designed to avoid bots. One film can be seen within 72 hours meaning you can stop and continue watching another day. No schedule - full benefits of the online form. So it's enough to focus on watching. But each movie will be available to see just once. The organizers promise HD audio and subtitles clearly visible even on a mobile.

The festival took off in Lublin in 2015 with just a few screenings. I heard of it only in 2018-2019 when Warsaw joined. The dates always collided with my regular festivals so I've never participated so far. The online version is bound to change it.

Audience awards will cover as many as 6 categories. And what is there to watch? "Possessor" by Brandon Cronenberg - the name is no coincidence. A WTF section, as the name implies, will comprise of class B productions. The "Zgniłe uszy" ("Rotten ears") director finds "Evil Dead" to be the best movie ever. He's mentioned some other class B titles. So I guess the section will appeal to him. Not to me rather. Argentinian and Turkish entries are far more intriguing. What's interesting is the possibility of searching by hashtags. Speaking of which, a sports documentary titled "Be Water" is my greatest astonishment. I'm dying to know (pun intended) what a documentary is doing at such a festival, a sports one in that. Well, as Bruce Lee used to say, be water - get anywhere, adapt, change shape. Sounds like fantasy or horror, doesn't it?

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WOJNA ZE SMOGIEM (SMOG WARS)

Watchable. I obsessively keep checking smog sensor readings year-round so the topic is of great interest to me. But then the main question is: what's new? Hardly anything. Well, maybe the grim prospect of Polish people buying cheap cars abroad if old types become banned for environmental reasons in the rest of Europe. And the fact we have twice as many cars as Berlin does. We lag a few decades behind the West. The rest is an engaging reminder of the problem I've read, watched and discussed extensively over the last few years. Film-wise, blackout curtains used in editing quite a few times are too long at best, if needed at all.

At least the screening was loud and clear, with big subtitles on black background.

MY, NAROD (WE, THE PEOPLE)

Watchable. The Polish title means: "We, the People" - just like in the US constitution preamble and it comes from Lech Walesa's historic address to the Congress. The opening of his speech was invented by... a 7 year old Polish girl growing up in the US, Marta Kalabinski. Apart from such trivia, the documentary presents the events which ended up in overthrowing communism - first in Poland, then in the rest of Europe. You realise how great a man Walesa is, or was at his time, and that nearly a decade of citizens' protests in Poland, the Soviet Union loosening the grip, American support and the Polish communist party's internal disagreements were needed for it to happen - a much broader process than I imagined. The American perspective is fascinating. Still, the developments of 30 years ago make it just one of a number of historic films. I focused on my own mind making comparisons to women's protests now.

Also loud and clear but with small white (English) subtitles.

COPPER NOTES OF A DREAM

Switched off. Children's daily life interactions, slow pace, discussions about organizing an amateurish concert - nothing to glue you to the screen. Aleppo location doesn't save the film.

Again, barely legible subtitles. But the sound quality was fine.

HUMAN DOC FESTIVAL ONLINE

I WAS NOT BORN FOR WAR

Watchable. Consisting mostly of the main protagonist's poems and musings, it's slow-paced. You see people delighted with skydiving, discover their histories of lost friends and limbs but only hear brief mentions about war. Apparently such an experience makes everyone either good or bad, with no middle ground, and stays with you forever. The title is placed on a target. Poor poetry has ruined the film.

CHADDR - UNTER UNS DER FLUSS (CHADDR - A RIVER BETWEEN US)

Watchable. Don't let the splendid wintry views of the river valley mislead you. This documentary should be titled "The most extreme road to school ever": wading in freshly melted icy water, climbing, all over a few exhausting days. Just to get education. Climate changes and authorities taking too long to adapt form the backdrop. Comforting to see schooling has so much value to the people of Ladakh. Disturbing how quickly the climate warms. And awe-inspiring with the scenery. What is an extreme travel adventure to some means daily grind to others. The film's a bit on the slow side.

SURYAGANGA / SUNGANGES

Watchable. Entertaining. Hiring a popular actor to make humorous comments was hitting the bull's eye. The film explains the hazards of fossil fuel exploitation and the advantages of solar energy to everyone from illiterates to highly educated ones. I was shocked to see the Ganges disappear because of numerous dams - India doesn't look like what you learned about it just a few years ago. But in more general terms, it doesn't present anything new to the environmentally oriented ones.

White subtitles on often pale backgrounds in the first two movies were hard to read. The last one, however, put big subtitles on black backgrounds, also the dialogues, mostly English, were quite audible. 

HUMAN DOC FESTIVAL ONLINE

First, I was unable to see the films sent to me beforehand so I ended up watching the festival in real time. Now I've realised the films can be seen only at given times, like at the cinema, and upon registration - no idea why. I'm upset already. Then I got late because of my classes, then it took a few minutes and technical glitches to register so I've decided to write only about the film I managed to see in full:

SIDIK EN DE PANTER (SIDIK AND THE PANTHER)

Watchable. Plenty of stunning mountain views - at varying times of day and night and different seasons - match the magnificent task of finding the elusive panther inhabiting the mountains of north Iraq. Tragic stories of Saddam's regime fighting the Kurdish minority and of ISIS executions are mentioned occasionally. But this slow-paced movie is filled with the love of nature and calm. Even a violent confrontation with a poacher appears peaceful. Mountain vistas with animals and seemingly tiny locals cultivating old legends are majestic. Some daily life situations. e.g. a kid talking about butterflies, are needless. And the lecture at the end out of the blue suddenly creates chaos in this simple narration. I gather the man hasn't found the predator himself but such bits disturb the cohesion of the story. 

Apart from this one, I partly saw two other films. Each was very quiet and had small, barely visible subtitles, even the one which had black space below the picture. That means you can't watch them from a distance.

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL / KAMERA DAWIDA ONLINE

זכות מלידה(BIRTH RIGHT)

Watchable. A pleasant short film with a realistic depiction of relationships among young people, holiday infatuations - smartly, swiftly and subtly presented from a few people's points of view. A desert in the background. A great music piece. And national identity dilemmas. No clear conclusion though.

THE REAL FAUDA

Watchable. I've never watched the original "Fauda" series but it's not an issue if you want to see the documentary about it. Created by two ex-special-forces soldiers, but with the other - Palestinian side in mind, it turns out to be a hit in Arab countries. While the on-screen actions are dramatised, the background of lives of both sides of the conflict is deemed realistic. Both languages are used and both subtitled too. It's comforting Israelis start to notice they've been the occupants of Arabs for 50 years and how they've been inducing fear, manifesting their presence with numerous checkpoints. While questioned about prospects for peace, they appear disillusioned though: in the past it would have been enough to change the leader, now they'd have to replace the whole nation, since the time of the second Intifada peace seems impossible. I guess the film will be interesting for the fans of the series but what I like about it the most, not watching "Fauda", is the real life reference regarding inter-nation relations and a chance to end this war. Sadly, that hasn't been explored further and the opinions on it are only Israeli.

I loved the online festival. The visual and audio quality was good, subtitles mostly on black backgrounds hence visible from a distance. Once I started a movie one night, stopped when I was afraid I might doze off and continued the next night. The documentaries and actors' movies, full length and short, covered a wide range of topics and were geographically diverse  which was brilliant. The only downside was that not all movies screened were listed on the official website, also each site which showed them had its own rules of how long they'd be available and whether you needed to collect an online ticket beforehand. Too much chaos with that. Even with the team answering questions on Facebook right away. Had there been uniform rules for each movie and complete information with links on one website, it would have been perfect.

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL / KAMERA DAWIDA ONLINE

טּאּצּיּ (TOUCH)

Watchable. Barely. It's a colourful 25-minute film about an Internet troll making friends and finding a potential boyfriend in her weird ways. As unpleasant as real life social media trolls. Engaging due to a fast pace and sharp nasty responses she gives online. Sad to see it's a worldwide phenomenon.

TREE #3

Recommended. An American teacher who fails to see the wood for the trees and foreign kids struggling for their talent to be recognized. The first scene endears you to the gifted boy, then you suffer the discrimination with him till the wonderful, moving finale turns the tables. A 20-minute film but filled with events. And wonderfully acted. Will amaze all underdogs out there.

HANNA COHEN'S HOLY COMMUNION

Watchable. Another smart short film about expat children's dreams, this one about a cultural-religious clash. Very pleasant, with few but vivid characters. But little depth beyond the envy of other people's celebrations and coming to terms with one's own culture.

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL / KAMERA DAWIDA ONLINE

הסודות‎ (THE SECRETS)

Watchable. Another feature by אבי נשר  (Avi Nesher), the director of superb "החטאים" ("Past Life"). The director is amazing: he created an absorbing movie about a topic as obscure as girls studying the Torah. Nor only does the story bring Jewish tradition home to other nations, the plot is complex, covers women's rights and lifestyle dilemmas. Wonderful, vivid and amiable characters. A number of secrets and twists of action. A daring attitude to tradition, including sex norms, touching in the, complex, finale. But what severely detracts from the watching pleasure is that, again - just like in the other film, there's needless nudity. This time, the girls look very young, are shown stark naked and in detail - in the mykva, the camera goes down slowing down near their parts. What a perv! Talented but perv. 

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL / KAMERA DAWIDA ONLINE

HEN I WOJNA (JOZEF HEN AND THE WAR)

Watchable. Most of the documentary is fascinating. Józef Hen (now 97 as I've just looked up), healthy-looking and smart, shares his amazing experiences of escaping death a number of times - by good luck or divine providence, talks about his observatory attitude to life which not only made him a writer but also prevented him from fearing all age and shares his love story which is far less interesting.

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL / KAMERA DAWIDA ONLINE

LE FORMULAIRE

Watchable. Tedious, a French-style French documentary. Very linear. But about mid-way through the film the characters feel so warm you continue watching without batting an eyelid. However, it does not increase your knowledge of the times or people. Skippable. 

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL / KAMERA DAWIDA ONLINE

EINSAME HELDEN

Recommended. Thorough and insightful. You learn everything you might want to know about Germans who saved Jews during the war and what happened to both parties afterwards. All in just 45 minutes. There's a lot of psychology, e.g. prostitutes, being socially excluded too, helped Jews regularly. The documentary also explains why some of the holocaust survivors couldn't stand living in Germany after the war and why others could. It's also a grim but comprehensive picture of German society which in a larger part internalized Nazi values to the point of seeing the helpers as traitors even after the fall of the Nazis. 

תמונת ניצחון (IMAGE OF VICTORY)

Watchable. The 25-minute documentary presents an excerpt from the Israeli-Palestinian war: an accidental hero of a military action which cost several thousand lives, mostly Palestinian, and many more thousand wounded. The guy, suffering from enormous pains, is presented cheerfully - mostly smiling and joking - he's become a celebrity. He's in a state-of-art rehabilitation centre, surrounded by friends and well-wishers all the time, visited by a minister, a supermodel (Bar Refaeli) and several musicians. The upmarket health service, the esteem soldiers enjoy and the high level of community tie-ins - he's never alone, even in hospital - all look exotic to a Polish viewer. At the same time you notice how much marketing is involved in the promotion of the deadly conflict. And that's it. Pleasant to watch but shallow. 

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL / KAMERA DAWIDA ONLINE

החטאים (PAST LIFE)

Recommended. Gripping from early minutes when girls hear their father is a murderer. The digging is intriguing. But it's more than just a thriller speeding the blood in your veins. It's phenomenally acted all round. And the underlying issues of trust, grief, remorses, blame, unspoken experiences of a whole generation add an edge. Leaves some food for thought. 

Watching the WJFF online lets you fast forward to the movie skipping the 4 minutes of commercials. But the whole movie sometimes gets stuck and you have to refresh a few times.

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL / KAMERA DAWIDA ONLINE

With more than 40 movies available this year, most in 48-hour blocks, I'm picking them at random.

LOVE RITUALS IN ISRAEL

Watchable. An investigative type of documentary which I love the most. And yes, I did learn a lot about the Israeli concept of love and family - Israel turns out to combine tradition with modernity and religious rigidity with liberalism remarkably well - but, at just 44 minutes, it's too short and I felt let down by its sudden ending. I wish the woman continued her digging. 

SIMPLE THINGS

Recommended. A truly touching documentary, also about getting married, so much in line with the previous film, but a corker. This one, 30-minute long, focuses on one person only, a 37-year-old told by a match-maker not to go but to "run" to find a husband, the story of her having been to 100 dates is moving, mostly due to the endearing protagonist: beautiful, even if overweight, smart, warmhearted and disheartened. Then a miracle happens. 

GANEF

Watchable. A 14-minute actors' film. Starts well, disappoints later. Intriguing as you are dying to know what's in the bags but I the rest isn't very clear. It shows a child's perspective differing from adults' but what message is it actually trying to convey?

HUMAN DOC FESTIVAL ONLINE

I was going to preview the documentaries before the festival. I've found 24 films I haven't seen yet. In fact, I can only skip "Oni nie znają naszej sztuki" ("They don’t know our art. Graffiti in Kenya") from last year's Afrykamera which I saw and reviewed then. However, for technical reasons, I haven't been able to start watching those films yet. 

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

Here too, I'm waiting for a chance to catch up with one last movie of the festival - extended till the end of the month. In the meantime, I've decided to some up this year's event. Firstly, the contents: 21st century and just behind our border a war has been going on for 5 years. The festival brings it home reminding us over and over again about lives in a war zone. Hard to imagine for most Europeans and it's a daily bread for several young people whose lives have been irreversibly changed by politics somewhere high above them, unnoticeable to them while they're just continuing the struggle day by day. Secondly, the viewing experience: all movies are loud, perfectly audible from a computer without extra loudspeakers. Subtitles look best when placed on a black backdrop below the picture which isn't always the case so reading them is a problem at times. I skipped meetings and, on top of movies, tried to enjoy the gig - didn't quite work out though, I couldn't stand Gordiy Starukh's music.

FISHEYE

Watchable. Barely. It drags so badly I kept counting the minutes of the film. While the set-up of being kidnapped and locked up while close ones don't know where the person has vanished is, by rule of thumb, a perfect thriller setting. Instead you get a quirky and somewhat disturbing psychological drama about a few severely disturbed individuals, most of them scientists - hardly plausible. Poorly acted - no good role in the whole cast and ineptly shot - everyone looks ugly and the interiors are often overlit. The setting where she's locked-up right next to her flat was intriguing enough for me to endure watching till the end. 3 scriptwriters, 4 script doctors, psychotherapy consultants on top of that, developed within some special Nowe Horyzonty program and such a result? Shame on everyone.

Reviewed from an online screener, cinematic reception might differ.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

The festival has been extended till the end of November. Below my penultimate movie. Now I'm dead knackered after a series of nearly sleepless nights and won't see the last one before tomorrow.

ПРОЩАННЯ ЗІ СТАЛІНИМ (STATE FUNERAL)

Watchable. Long but the sheer sight of staggering numbers of participants nails you to the screen. It also lets you experience what it was like to live under communism when organized mass public events were a rule and the scarcity of goods made everyone and everything look shabby. The documentary is monumental. Roughly 2.5 hours showing the announcement of the death - unexpectedly long and medically detailed - and the funeral spreading over several cities in a number of Soviet Republics. Shabby coats both of the common folks and of the dignitaries remind you of the post-war deprivation but also magnify the impression of equality people must have had at the time. Funnily, apart from delegates from countries like China, there were also representatives of a communist party from Britain. The coffin was red. Of course. The gigantic funeral makes you wonder how many of the attendees and organizers knew of the unspeakable crimes committed on the orders of the deceased. There's little sobbing. Most of the gathered listen and stare as if dumb. In one of the last speeches Beria warns of enemies of the state. But after that you hear a Russian lullaby played aloud which is moving and heart-warming, as if the dead was a little child. It's only in the written notice at the end that you hear of the 15 million who died of hunger and 27 million executed or tortured under Stalin's rule. 

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

STRIP AND WAR

Watchable. Belarusian, not Ukrainian, and all the more fascinating for it. A clash of cultures and worldviews: an elderly former pioneer and communist activist believing in military values and engineering professions lives with his stripper grandson believing in money, his own brand and creativity. Tanks and Lukashenko in the background. A bizarre view of life in Minsk. Both protagonists are competent in what they do. One is a war veteran, the other a muscled and extremely fit dancer so it's easy to appreciate both. The director has chosen to present not only the stripper's body but also his ailing grandfather's which connects the two and divides them at the same time. The film is not particularly insightful but enjoyable nevertheless.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

U311 ЧЕРКАСИ (U311 CHERKASY)

Watchable. The drama about Ukrainian resistance against Russia during the invasion on Crimea in 2014 is shot so professionally, not only in terms of the picture and sound quality but also of story-telling, it resembles... Russian cinema. Minor faults of the script and editing make some political, military and technical aspects impermeable to outsiders. But the human dilemma: patriotism vs. 4 times the wage when you've been poverty-stricken all your life and the personal drama are lucid. The film was consulted with the navy so I have no reasons not to trust the depiction of an army consisting of ignorant amateurs who often lack solidarity, empathy, skills, reason, discipline, who failed miserably. 

The subtitles, especially English ones, were quite small. And the Polish translation had a few more curse words than the original. The English version didn't.

SERGEI LOZNITSA SHORT FILMS

ОДНА НІЧ В ОПЕРІ / UNE NUIT À L’OPÉRA (A NIGHT AT THE OPERA)

Watchable. It's mostly black and white, with just one shot in colour in the middle, but manages to capture the splendour of the Opera Garnier - it shines, mostly owing to the jewellery worn at the opera nights. The roughly 20-minute film compiles the greats of mid-20th-century walking up the steep stairs and sitting in the seemingly small hall listening to and watching various performances. It's fun, you'd just love to join them. That one colourful shot inserted in the middle, however, shows how much you miss when the film is black and white.

СТАРИЙ ЄВРЕЙСЬКИЙ ЦВИНТАР (THE OLD JEWISH CEMETARY)

Watchable. Another 20-minute long black and white film with a smart use of light. Pleasant, showing how life has renewed itself on the old massive burial ground. Life always goes on. Nothing revelatory but with no words spoken, just the sounds of nature in the park, it's soothing.

ЛИСТ/ ПИСЬМО (LETTER)

Switched off. Quiet life in a village. Nothing much happens. Blurred black and white picture. 

The three shorts with no dialogues were easy to watch, no struggle with the size or visibility of subtitles.

ДОДОМУ / EVGE (HOMEWARD)

Watchable. No respect for dead bodies, pervasive corruption, derelict towns - ugly Ukraine.  But beautifully filmed, especially the finale at sunrise. The unsightly reality of Ukraine is juxtaposed with traditional Tatar values. And the story of a father-son reunion and reconciliation is engaging, as is the Tatar background. Akhtem Seitablayev excels as the tough Crimean father. The story has numerous twists and turns since the men's road is ridden with adventures. Not everything is comprehensible to outsiders regarding Tatars' history or modern day check points but most is easy to follow. Modern day adventure movie. 

Perfectly legible subtitles. Easy to read on a laptop screen from a distance.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

ЧОРНИЙ ВОРОН (BLACK RAVEN)

Switched off. Typical Eastern European historical drama: dull, gloomy, no tension, required knowledge of history to understand the movie. More often than not there's no music whatsoever so nothing builds up suspense, even artificially.

АУСТЕРЛІЦ (AUSTERLITZ)

Switched off. A 94-minute dodumentary in which you just watch crowds of tourists visiting Auschwitz. 

RELIC

Watchable. In the first act, you deal with the fear of your mother having Alzheimer's. In the second act, it's the fear of mould on the walls of a derelict house, leaks and claustrophobia - the highest dose of adrenaline. In the third act, the fear of a deranged family member inflicting violence on you. The finale of this horror-drama is a weird and disturbing scene of not letting go. It's repulsive more than scary. But unpredictability and slowly mounting tension keep you glued to the screen.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

ЗЕМЛЯ (EARTH) 

Switched off. An actors' feature shot in the USSR in 1930. What was a current conflict to the contemporaries, is awfully outdated 90 years later. Not involving in the slightest.

CATS & DOGS 3: PAWS UNITE!

Watchable. Very pleasant - both the human and the animal characters, endearingly acted. Great dialogues. A few things detract from the pleasure though. Firstly, the plot with a villain causing havoc feels weary as a rule and the robot dog was neither convincing nor matching the rest of the animal story. Secondly, some lines were on the disgusting side, too much focus on excretions. Lastly, mediocre dubbing in both languages: original and translated - in Poland, it's available in Polish only. But it was a heart-warming story enough for me to try and catch up with part 1 and 2 which I haven't seen at all. And it changed my view of animals. Suddenly the dogs I saw in the yard on my way back home seemed somewhat different, I became more aware of their body language. 

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

ВІДДАНА (VIDDANA)

Watchable. A period drama where the mistress's beauty embellished by elaborate dresses and hairstyles, other characters' costumes as well as the set decoration, though resembling theatrical scenography, are eye-catching. The story, based on a book I haven't read or even heard of, is engaging, with a handful of surprises in the plot, but not entirely clear. I had a feeling the book was cut short where more background was needed. All this bright representation conceals a psychological drama as twisted as the trees bound together and referred to in the story. Far-fetched but kind of magical. An enchanting song runs over the end credits. 

The movie had the best subtitles so far - the only ones I could see from a distance. 

НОМЕРИ (NUMBERS)

Watchable. I've seen a documentary about Oleg Sentsov, now time has come to see a film written and, remotely, in over 100 letters, directed by him. It's a damn smart metaphor of Christianity, of a totalitarian state and of a lager since all three are ruled the same way. Each line is strikingly clever and thought through. Sadly, it's filmed theatre. If a film location had been used it would have made a hell of a difference.

THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE

Switched off. Bringing up children - of whatever age - is boring and living in a war zone doesn't make it any more interesting. The documentary could do with more dynamic cutting too. And a title in correct English.

Mojeekino.pl stutters which slows down each movie to the point it lasts on average 1/6 longer than its stated running time.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

SHORT FILMS

ЗНЕБАРВЛЕНА (DESATURATED)

Watchable. On the one hand it's a failure because the 10 minutes film feel lengthy but on the other it's tongue in cheek since the protagonists know they are in a movie and dread the end credits that "no one stays for". The order to wear non-depressive colours is an ingenious film idea deserving a more complete story.

КОЛООБІГ (CIRCULATION)

Watchable. A rail-view of Kiev: poverty, derelict buildings and industrial plants. Uninspiring but I'm happy I saw it from the comfort of my home.

ЗОНҐ (ZONG)

Watchable. An artistic way of presenting an environmental topic. The form is dismal which makes watching dull but reflects the topic well. The final message of how draining bogs increases greenhouse gases release to the atmosphere by 20% is the most interesting.

ДРУГИЙ ФРОНТ. ІСТОРІЇ ЛҐБТ-ВІЙСЬКОВИХ (THE SECOND FRONT. STORIES OF LGBT SOLDIERS)

Watchable. 4 short stories cover a range of topics: LGBT people's personal safety, sex change operations and life at war. The war has disappeared from foreign media but has been going on for more than 5 years now - there's clearly a generation growing for who it's a way of life. Worth seeing to update yourself on the situation in the region but there's nothing truly vital.

The whole set provided such a variety of topics, genres and narrative styles it was kind of fascinating.

IN THE TRAP

Walked out. Not much of a trap, is it? First you get some childish spooks. Next a family drama - the decently looking kid grew up into a surprisingly ugly adult. Soon comes a possession and an exorcism. But ominous music, fast, stumping steps in the house and the man's girlfriend acting crazy rather than possessed weren't scary in the slightest. And ugly protagonists, poorly acted in that, don't entice you either. 

A second unscary horror today. Seriously, these days riding a crowded bus induces more fear.

COME PLAY

Walked out. I came but left in the middle having decided not to play interested. I felt calm watching the movie and it was supposed to be a horror. Instead it's a family drama about an autistic kid bullied by school mates. Minor jump scares are caused by sudden loud noises - occasional apparitions are so lame no adult will be afraid. The monster roars and groans from minute one but does it in a manner resembling a large pussy cat. Heavy stumping won't frighten anyone living in a block of flats. Burnt light bulbs and fuses are ridiculed even by the child protagonists. Squeaky wardrobes and a book making a scary tale come to life are such exploited tropes they simply don't work. The film just keeps you hanging on for something to happen but it never does. And the realistic layer is so shallow it won't hook you either. 

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

НЕ ХВИЛЮЙСЯ, ДВЕРІ ВІДЧИНЯТЬСЯ (DON'T WORRY, THE DOORS WILL OPEN)

Watchable. An interesting travelogue with an impressive range of protagonists. The documentary covers South-Western Railway. In comparison to Poland, Ukraine appears as if stuck in the 90s. And poorer than the Polish 90s because there are no fortunes in sight. Crime, in turn, is. The travelling, often for vending work, people's experiences resemble Polish ones of the transformation period. But the rail is also a scene of deadly, often gruesome accidents recounted by its workers.The whole film is well-balanced. It's cut in a way which renders the film comprehensive, comprehensible and absorbing simultaneously.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

CONTEMPORARY UKRAINIAN ANIMATION

ІСТОРІЯ УКРАЇНИ ЗА 5 ХВИЛИН (UKRAINE'S HISTORY IN 5 MINUTES)

Watchable. A rapped music video listing the main events in the history of Ukraine, most of which are unknown to outsiders and mentioned by name only. Animation-wise, historical figures appear one by one and look like paper cut-outs. The whole thing refreshes your knowledge where existent but is too fast to learn anything new. The music is mediocre.

ПЕРЕВТІЛЕННЯ (METAMORPHOSIS)

Watchable. Kafka's adaptation where the man changes not into a cockroach but into a tick and the tale is presented from his family's point of view, not his own. The animation's black-grey-white with spots of red. Pretty comprehensible apart from the final scene which becomes a guesswork as to what's happened.

ПОКИ НЕ СТАНЕ ЧОРНИМ (UNTIL IT TURNS BLACK)

Watchable. Original since it's in Japanese.The town consisting of drawings mixed with objects looks great but the main character doll without a face is awkward, even with the lovely transparent umbrella. It looks like a school etude showcasing a variety of animation styles which, to an ordinary viewer, are overwhelming in such a short film (6'23").

ELOHIM – METAMORPHINE

Watchable. Pleasant pop music and video. Attractive, especially the song, with matching visuals. But this animation doesn't stand out.

ПЕТРІВКА-РЕКВІЄМ (PETRIVKA-REQUIEM)

Watchable. Fascinating electro music and ingenious combinations of animation techniques with stories, especially the one stylised for an 80s computer game. Lacks cohesion though. Too many tales within 5'16".

СУРОГАТ (THE SURROGATE)

Watchable. All characters look ugly, even the dog. The story's of a crime which is fascinating, even if the woman's reaction is inexplicable.

ПУПОВИНА (THE CORD)

Recommended. A powerful, even shocking story of a bond between a mother and a child which first limits the mother and next, the same way, ruins her son's life. Lovely animation doesn't make it any less harrowing. Heart-breakingly real.

КОХАННЯ (DEEP LOVE)

Watchable. A creative representation of the transformation of post-Soviet Ukraine into an independent state. Top-notch soundtrack. Yet, several tropes are incomprehensible to an outsider. Just 13'58" long but with a post-credit.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

Out of the 19 movies and short film sets presented this year, I've seen before: 

МІФ (MYTH) in 2019

АТЛАНТИДА (ATLANTIS) in 2019

THE TRIAL: THE STATE OF RUSSIA VS OLEG SENTSOV  in 2017

GNIZDO GORLYTSI (THE NEST OF THE TURTLEDOVE) in 2016

The reviews can be found in the blog. And it looks like I'll start the remaining 15 tomorrow.

HUMAN DOC - ONLINE

Another festival is coming up shortly. The organizers, ever careful not to cause any environmental or societal damage and to include everyone, have decided not to risk human health and life to Covid-19 and will run this year's edition entirely online. What's more, this year will be free of charge. The dates are 23-29 November, however, I'll have a chance to preview the films earlier and will share my findings with you so keep your eyes peeled next week.

LITTLE JOE

Recommended. A psychological thriller, alternatively science fiction, depending on your own perception. But then again, it is about perception. Still, what you notice first, is the set decoration and costumes - the picture is just beautiful, the shades of green in the uniforms and canteen seats match the female lead's ginger hair, yellow trousers and yellow walls of her place. That contrasts with the bright red of the flowers. And that picture-perfect colour palette and the sterile organization of the lab are contrasted further by the chilling plot. The movie keeps you on the edge of the seat for 100 minutes. It taps into the fears of GMO as well as the Covid-19 pandemic: imperceptible symptoms of a virus infecting the brain, wearing masks, genetic testing. And those less physical fears - of whether one is a good parent, if others' feelings are genuine and if that matters at all, as one protagonist puts it: "no feelings are real, and who cares". Most importantly, it's skillfully written, keeping you in suspense and guessing who's right and what's real. Excellent music accompanies the picture.

THE CRAFT: LEGACY

Recommended. Darkish fantasy for teenagers with a strong feminist message. I don't think I've ever seen the 1996 original. From what I've read on Wikipedia, that movie, by a man, was brutal and the girl characters acted the way boys do in real life. Well, the new movie is by a woman, for women, where the girls and women act like girls and women do. And, although several tropes from the first act of the first film reappear in this makeover, it's far from a horror. David Duchovny, known among others from "Beethoven" and "The X-Files" has a role combining a family and the supernatural. The plot holds a handful of surprises up the sleeve, is well-paced, every girl can relate to the experiences and the added magic is wonderful, including visual and sound effects. Professional cinematography, inspiring make-ups, top-notch music ranging from Mozart's Requiem, via techno and electro, to a piece by Princess Nokia. First-class fun. 

WARSAW KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL (ONLINE)

파고 (HEIGHT OF THE WAVE)

Watchable. The scriptwriter's introduction to the film is more moving than the picture. It drags unbearably. And the crime is just a pretext for a psychological drama with a number of protagonists - virtually everyone has a problem. In the social background, patriarchy is the root cause both of corruption - moral and financial and of the girl objectifying herself to the point it's hard to determine whether a crime has taken place. Disturbing when you come to think of it. Cinematography lacks clarity and is as subdued as the plot. 

The festival, on the mojeekino.pl platform, required you to start the movie precisely on time. It ran rather smoothly, though a bit too quiet to hear the original well. But at least you could choose between Polish or English subtitles.

Now I'm looking forward to the Ukraina! Film Festival. The 5th edition, which has taken place in Warsaw already, runs from 2 November to 9 November online, on the same platform but flexibly in terms of days and times.

HALLOWEEN MARATHON

For a number of reasons I ended up watching just one of the four movies in the marathon:

ALIVE. (2018)

Recommended. Two people, of identities unknown to themselves, are kept in an abandoned hospital by a mad doctor. Tortures, glimpses of memories are enough to get your adrenaline pumping. Strong imagery, especially bloody body parts and corpses as you explore the building, enhances the horror. Behind all this lies a mystery. Towards the end certain place gave me a clue to their identities but the final revelation was even more shocking. And what comes after that is the most frightening part in an already blood-curdling horror. There's a mid-credit and a post-credit - not to be missed either.

HELMUT NEWTON: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL 

Watchable. OK, his pictures were impressive, creative and manifested the power of the body which I associated with Nazi-time photography before this inspiration was cited in the documentary. But how many nudes, all in the same powerful poses, can you watch? With the same model testimonies of how confident they felt working with him. It's just tedious. There's a little mid-credit which doesn't bring in anything new.

Seen online, cinematic reception might differ.

POLOT

Watchable. A completely niche topic: a young zeppelin constructor and his start-up in the contemporary Polish reality. Technical details don't help the feeling the story's fictitious. Of course it is, but watching a movie you shouldn't feel it, should you. While the storyline's clear enough, the first act runs too fast, especially the crash which makes the subsequent plot superficial. While the 3 young start-up guys (acted by: Maciej Musiałowski, Eryk Kulm Jr. and Tomasz Włosok) are convincing, the lead's love interest (Pola Błasik), his mother (Izabela Kuna) and the businessman (Andrzej Konopka) are miscast which decreases the plausibility further. The majority is well shot but rain, especially the second one, looks superimposed and the guy doesn't look wet. 

Has Cessna rental got so cheap recently? They've been used in another recent Polish movie - "Tarapaty 2" "Triple Trouble"), sadly with no special purpose in either production.

IL NIDO (THE NEST)

Recommended. An unusual horror. The opening is foreboding and it's a sombre affair throughout, the grim picture never goes away, even at joyous moments something is looming above the boy. The family is weird, their customs horrifying and inexplicable. Till the finale which clarifies everything and puts everyone in a different light. The whole message is petrifying.

Reviewed from an online screener, cinematic reception might differ.

CZYSCIEC

Watchable. A chaotic documentary with a handful of acted scenes. Often philosophically abstract, at times intriguing, even spooky at some point and occasionally moving. It switches from one form and time period to another constantly, changes moods frequently and juggles Polish, Italian and French commentators ranging from a doctor, through a number of priests to the controversial (not in the film but in real life) founder of the Wojownicy Marii (Mary's Warriors) sect. The documentary makes it clear that the idea of a purgatory was accepted by the Church as late as at the 16th century Florentian synod, based on much older common people's beliefs. It also states that 25-30% of those who've been through clinical death have memories of out-of-body experiences. Cases of hearing voices in abandoned or isolated places like monasteries are presented in the context of purgatory souls. The necessity to confess your sins is emphasized several times. And you're told that a soul can't be saved if their family won't pray. Is it supposed to absolve Catholics from personal responsibility for their own actions? The whole thing sounded quite construed. 

SAINT MAUD

Watchable. Hardly a horror. Anything supernatural only starts in the 54th minute of the 83-minute long movie and one brief scene towards the end truly belongs to the genre. The rest is an engaging drama about seeking connection with God and what it takes to become a saint or about a mentally disturbed young woman - depending how you look at it. It also delves into issues of control, dying, our assumptions regarding other people's needs. If I understood correctly, the language Maud hears from God and speaks herself in the finale is Welsh - God only knows why, so to speak.

17TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FESTIVAL - THE FREE ONLINE PART

JOVANNA FOR FUTURE 

Watchable. A 15-minute film about children climate demonstrations. Giving hope and naive at the same time.

WINTER LAKE

Recommended. An inspiring 15-minute film about camping in winter. Finnish winter, with owls, seals, woodpeckers and snowshoeing, silence and occasional aurora borealis.

DEUX (TWO OF US)

Recommended. A subtle psychological drama with a number of twists of action and food for thought. How do we know what's best for our loved ones? Where's the borderline between violence and care? The movie starts ordinarily but soon becomes gripping as you never know what's going to happen next. Ah, and the lyrics of the song matter too.

PREMATURE

Recommended. Harlem, NYC. A beautiful young couple (Zora Howard played the girl and co-scripted the movie) in a love flick for teenagers which is both down to earth and engaging. First you meet a bunch of sociable and outgoing girls that are just fun to watch, especially as you begin to follow the relationships of the lead. Particularly one affair. Each line of the dialogues and each scene are thoroughly realistic. First you take to both leads or maybe even the entire bunch of friends, female and male, and then you really feel for the girl. Masterfully written. And in spite of their minor faults, they're all amiable, live decently and can be achievable role models for the young black youth.

Both movies reviewed from online screeners, cinematic reception might differ.

17TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FESTIVAL - THE FREE ONLINE PART

WHAT YOU GONNA DO WHEN THE WORLD'S ON FIRE?

Switched off. Very mundane lives of relatively poor Afro Americans. Occasionally they gather to blame whites for their own failings. At the same time, they are clearly uneducated and have no drive for it. 

Original dialogues are perfectly audible. Polish subtitles are rather small. In this case they'd be useful since the protagonists speak English with hard African accents. 

ACCOMPLICE + RETURN TO EARTH 

Recommended. What a ride! Mind-blowing mountain bike stunts, exhilarating music, awe-inspiring vistas of mountains and of nature - Ladakh (I admire the girls riding down the steep Himalayan stokes), British Columbia, Oahu etc., masterful shots, e.g. of a dog running, apart from the aerials. While both parts pump your adrenaline, the first is a series of amazing sports shows + a biopic and the second a series of amazing sports shows + musings on life. A big screen is a must.

The presence of some unmasked people in the audience gave me more adrenaline than I wished for.

17TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FESTIVAL - THE FREE ONLINE PART

ONCE THE DUST SETTLES

Watchable. Slow, could be easily cut short, depicts ruins which, after a couple of years, turn into tourist attractions. The first story - on Italian earthquakes - only briefly mentions the disaster, focusing rather on the locals retrieving their saint figures and assembling at a church, the second explores the Chernobyl life before, during and after the catastrophe and takes you on a tour of Pripyat - radiation-free for the film audience, the last part deals with Syrian Aleppo and is on the dull side again.

NOWE HORYZONTY FESTIVAL AND AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

Both the 20th Nowe Horyzonty and the 11th AFF will take place online. Some movies will be available at the Nowe Horyzonty cinema too. Nearly 140 movies online. "Zabij to i wyjedź z tego miasta" ("Kill It and Leave This Town") will open the festival and "Druk" ("Another Round") will close it. The AFF will offer independent, usually new directors discovered at Sundance, South by Southwest, Tribeca as well as documentaries, including one revealing still unknown facts about Bruce Lee's career. This year the NH jury will be all Polish, though one of them is the Toronto Film Festival programmer. Isamu Hirabayashi's "Shell and Joint" is to reflect human relations in the form of insects. Also some movies from recent Kino Dzieci will reappear at the upcoming festival. Films from Berlinare disappeared later because of the pandemic. So SNH don't want to repeat Berlinale's mistake. From a few hundred sold passes fewer than 20 people have returned them once the festival moved online. 90% of NH and 70% of AFF has been moved online, negotiations with sells agents and distributors are ongoing regarding the rest. No red carpets this year. Safety first. At cinemas, 25% of seats in the largest screening rooms will be available. Online, no time blocks, all movies will be available all the time, flexibly. Each movie has a limit of screenings. At Kino Dzieci 2500 thousand people watched simultaneously. Now they're prepared for bigger numbers. No festival queues. Once you press play, you have 48 hours to see it. If the online version is successful, such a hybrid option may stay for the future. If you click at 23:59 on the last day of the festival, you can still see the movie. The last purchase chance on 15th November, still 2 days to watch.

GUNS AKIMBO

Watchable. Poles have a special term for that: "patostreaming". The local, Polish-invented English-sounding word can be defined as streaming pathologic behaviours. I thought Dumb Akimbo might be a more direct title but that would be too mild. The movie's moronic, it's a visual equivalent of junk food. Why did I keep watching? It has superb music. Put your grey cells to sleep and enjoy the soundtrack accompanied by unsophisticated yet rhythmic actions.

Reviewed from an online screener, cinematic reception might differ.

BANKSTERZY

Recommended. It follows in the footsteps of "Pitbull. Ostatni pies" ("Pitbull: Last Dog") and does it fully professionally: fine performances all round, a straightforward script with aces up the sleeve, masterfully directed and shot, with superb music. This fact-inspired business-political thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat. Most importantly, it clarifies the whole situation of "frankowicze" ("franc debtors") to ignorants like me. On a serious note, it made me wonder if the scam victims would be able to afford a cinema ticket to see this production themselves.

17TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FESTIVAL - THE FREE ONLINE PART

WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST

Recommended. Another, beside Alexander McQueen, British fashion icon who got no education but has been so spatially skilled since childhood she could design any shoes or clothes she fancied. You get to see her at work and get to know her current and past relationships. Malcolm McLaren turns out to be full-of-himself and malicious - quite a disappointment to a punk fun like me. Kate Moss says - that's rare, she doesn't speak up normally - she just wanted to get out of Croydon. And Vivienne Westwood's current partner, Andreas Kronthaler, met her as her student, twice younger than Vivienne, became totally besotted with her and has been half-designing with her ever since. A fascinating personal history and quirky, British to the core, outfits. 

THE SECRET GARDEN

Watchable. Having seen the trailer, I expected a brighter adaptation, even more magical. The movie turns out to be all gloom. Still, even within this steadily despondent atmosphere, it makes use of changing light several times, an eruption of colours when all flowers blossom or deepened darkness of the estate, all accompanied by music setting the mood. The beginning stresses the time of unrest just before the split of the colony into India and Pakistan as well as the cholera epidemic which resonates both with current civil upheavals and, even more so, with the Covid pandemic. But that, once the tone is set, gives way to the aristocratic cold upbringing where the girl's British life on the moors mixes with her memories of life with parents - most notably a depressed mother, which adds to the moroseness of the situation. The film is relatively slow-paced, at the same time skimming the literary original of its complexity. I think the duration of the movie could have been used better. On the other hand, I enjoyed the fact the film is deeply rooted in British values: not only the love of gardens but also that specific grit and resolve characterizing the English when faced with hardships. Lovely, perfectly matching music ends in the final song over the end credits, "The Secret Garden" by Aurora. Atmospheric but sombre and depressing.

17TH DOCS AGAINST GRAVITY FESTIVAL - THE FREE ONLINE PART

CUNNINGHAM

Watchable. Impressive contemporary dance choreographies and no story to speak of. The only line distinguishing it from other dance documentaries is that when you dance "you work with material which deteriorates in time." That's not delved into. Instead it covers the inter-human relations within the dance company too much - who cares? Admirable dancing is the main attraction. Colourful tightly-fitting uniforms increase your awareness of the dancers' postures and moves and those are extraordinary at times. 

The screening had loud original dialogues and visible Polish subtitles at hand too. 

LASSEMAJAS DETEKTIVBYRA - TAGRANARENS HEMLIGHET

Watchable. Another kids' flick in the series. The plot's very naive, adults are silly and even the criminal good-natured. I've seen better even within this franchise. In Poland, it's available only dubbed in Polish.

Reviewed from an online screener, cinematic reception might differ.

RAZ, JESZCZE RAZ

Walked out. I got to the screening late and... left early. I gave it half an hour (my minimum for feature-length screenings, to give every film a fighting chance) and within that time I heard: locker room talk - only, technicalities of pissing - by pissed protagonists of course - and of entering a brothel, slurping, famous actors doing the same locker room talk with theatrical poise, I saw drunks, also pissing - a recurring motif in the picture, scruffy men, colours off, grainy texture. Virtually each line of the dialogues is filled with filth, curse words - the lowest sort of language and people and completely accidental music. Only sound was of decent quality. Target audience? Only unsophisticated, uneducated men, best drunk.

The movie makers laughed every now and then at the premiere. I'm glad at least they enjoyed the film.

 PRZEMIANY FESTIVAL 2020 - YEAR ZERO (ONLINE)

THE WOLFPACK (2015)

Recommended. People complain of brief lockdowns imposed because of the pandemic. Imagine living like that for 15 years! Well, the brothers bear a grudge against their father who home-jailed them. But they had decent living conditions, a loving family and plenty of movies to watch - not too bad. Unfortunately they have a controlling, far over-protective and overbearing father who exhibits signs of a mental illness. Still, the boys, even though very young, are insightful, self-aware - their camera experience shows how they know they're being filmed, have top-notch social skills - unbeknown to themselves - and a flair for movie-making. They script, act, create their own costumes - some are pretty amazing and set design. One has ventured into the field already, becoming a PA to a production team. I hope others will follow. One thing years of film-watching did to them is empowering them to rebel. Quiet wolf howling can be heard at the very end of final end credits.

PRZEMIANY FESTIVAL 2020 - YEAR ZERO (ONLINE)

UNTITLED

Watchable. A skillfully shot travelogue which is pleasant at the time of the pandemic: wrestlers in sand - probably in Senegal, post-war empty brick houses in former Yugoslavia, people and goats co-existing happily round a landfill. I don't think I'd see any of these otherwise. But at some point the pictures feel drowsy. 1.5 hours is a bit too long. It also doesn't inform me of anything I didn't know before but it shows things I have mostly only read about. Pleasant.

DER SIEBENTE KONTINENT (THE SEVENTH KONTINENT) (1989)

Switched off. Tedious. Very ordinary lives. My own life is more interesting.

Both films were perfectly audible, with big, thick Polish subtitles."Untitled" had Polish voice over for some reason.

ZABIJ TO I WYJEDZ Z TEGO MIASTA (KILL IT AND LEAVE THIS TOWN)

Watchable. Phenomenal animation, star voicing cast but no plot. The animation is superb: changing grey hues convey the image of communist Poland, spots of bright light or blood red stand out, at certain point rain behind train windows looks quite real. It also depicts the grim reality of those years perfectly: harsh child upbringing, elderly people's behaviour, attitude to customers in general, the look of train carriages, towns and hospitals - disturbing at times. At the same time it manages to capture the callousness we lived in which transports us to modern animal liberation movements, especially when little human figures are beheaded and gutted the way carps used to be. But it's all fragmented, there's no storyline, just impressions - to the point but pointless.

 HALVDAN VIKING (THE ADVENTURES OF HALVDAN VIKING)

Switched off. You just watch children playing outdoors in the summer. And they don't do anything special. The fact they live in a Viking village doesn't change that. 

Reviewed from an online screener, cinematic reception might differ.

PINOCCHIO

Watchable. I barely remember the story from childhood and what I recall the most is that I didn't like it and didn't want to watch it any more. The new version, however, is so skillfully enacted that my main objection is that the tale is so dark I doubt it's appropriate for children. But as dark tales go, Matteo Garrone is a specialist and the new adaptation resembles his earlier "Il racconto dei racconti" ("Tale of Tales") at times. Star cast and the use of traditional Italian architecture make the film compelling from scene one till the very end. And that's in spite of its theatrical style, e.g. Cat and Fox are people, other characters take hybrid forms, e.g. a cricket, a snail or a fish have human faces. And parts of the movie tell of a puppet theatre or a circus. Having said that, those venues, derived from the original book, together with other literary tropes, mean the movie is quite true to the book, even the hanging is shown, though he gets rescued in the film. His nose growing when he tells lies appears in one scene only. This interpretation is sympathetic to the wooden boy. He's naughty but that's because he's so gullible, silly, inexperienced in life. It's dubbed in Polish, meant for child audience from the age of 8. Are they sure? Well, it has some educational value since it persuades children they should obey their parents, study diligently and tell the truth. I don't know why it seems to teach them to kiss people around them too - that was weird. But the storyline is morally consistent and totally engaging. Visually, golden-dark. Taken the number of fantasy characters, they could have made it more colourful. 

Reviewed from an online screener, cinematic reception might differ.

PRZEMIANY FESTIVAL 2020 - YEAR ZERO (ONLINE)

ROBOLOVE

Watchable. A widespread presentation of current developments in android-building - from their 'bodies' to A.I - and some reflections on the human need for others: human, animal, doll or android. While the android builders try to persuade us that we're driven by programmed and programmable emotions which act like instincts rather and that the physical and verbal representation of feelings can be and is often faked, it sounded quite cynical to me. And although they claim such androids will be of help to the elderly, the only interest actual customers, aged or not, have in them appears sexual. Are we so shallow? Or as vain as to transport our minds into android 'bodies' to immortalize ourselves? The inventors certainly are.

The documentary had white subtitles on often whitish pictures. It was also quite audible in the original languages (mostly Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English and Spanish).

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DAS FORUM (THE FORUM)

Watchable. Following the official meetings of two years feels a bit as if you had to wear a suit and sit with a stiff upper lip yourself. But you do learn why, how and whether it works. I was relieved that most participants - the world's richest and most powerful - did consider the consequences of their actions for the deprived ones and for the climate. So why does it not work? It also lets you look at controversial companies like Monsanto or politicians like Bolsonaro from a different angle - not justifying them but highlighting the issues aren't black and white.

The documentary had big subtitles on black background under the picture and was even quite audible in the original languages (mostly English and German).

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CHIEN POURRI (STINKY DOG)

Recommended. The animation is based on the original book illustrations by Marc Boutavant. The set of 4 short films depicts 4 quirky stories: the dog takes his love interest to dine in a dumpster, thinks he's flown to the Moon, wants to rent a holiday carton from a rat, fleas on his beret are looking for a lost family member and the dog is so dumb he can't recognize his best friend Flatty Cat when he's covered in paint. I was just dying to know what was going to happen next. Admirable attention to detail in the scripts.

The film set is shown in English version which is brilliant language-wise, e.g. "I told the fleas to flee" but appears off taken the pictures show Paris.

PELLE SVANSLOS (PETER NO-TAIL)

Watchable. Why do people write scripts when they don't have truly original ideas? Being forced to participate in circus-like performances, bullying, forgettable songs - why any at all? These tropes are neither pleasant nor original. The love subplot doesn't make much sense either. I seriously considered switching it off. But the main cat protagonist was cute and the second half of the film less predictable and less frustrating. Dark tale.

MADISON (MADISON - A FAST FRIENDSHIP)

Watchable. About teenage mountain biking enthusiasts but engaging not only for them. I was curious both whether Madison would succeed in the race and how her friendships and her and her friends' puppy loves would develop. Views of Tirol throughout and great music over end credits.

CITY PLAZA HOTEL

Watchable. An important short film about memories of life in a war zone. Vivid images. But no new news.

LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU'RE A GIRL)

Recommended. The title didn't convince me for a long time. But this short film deserves its last year's Oscar win. Within 39 minutes it manages to present comprehensively women's and girls' position in Afghanistan now and until 17 years earlier when the country was under the Taliban rule. The eponymous skating is in fact a lesson in courage. So are several other tasks in class. That's the only way for a societal change. Also, it appears to be an oasis of freedom where the girls genuinely laugh and enjoy themselves outside the constraints of their strict families. Enlightening.

I loved this year's festival. While the festival period was busy for me so I saw a limited number of movies, the online formula allowed me to: watch everything from the safety of my place, write reviews in between the films or even stop them to cook dinner and continue later. Quality recordings with truly audible sound meant I didn't feel missing out on anything. And mind it, at the platform trial a few weeks ago I couldn't even start a movie.

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COEUR FONDANT (MELTING HEART CAKE)

Watchable. I spent the 10 minutes of this short film looking for the signs of friendship the title promises. The post-credit of the fly tossing a pancake sums up the production well: most of the dolls resemble small or gigantic hairy flies or moths which is kind of scary. But the creatures are nice to each other. The background looks like rubbish - literally. Weird stuff.

UN LYNX DANS LA VILLE (A LYNX IN THE TOWN)

Watchable. Another short film. Rudimentary pictures, black-grey-white with a splash of orange for the over-sized lynx only, a simplistic story. No words are spoken but it's all clear.

LISTEK (LEAF)

Watchable. More of a brief impression than an even short film. Very basic drawings, mostly autumn colours - exudes nostalgia after the season.

보리야 (BORIYA)

Watchable. Korean-created French-produced. The animation is wonderful: the landscapes and plants are detailed and delicate, they look like in traditional Asian paintings. Human characters in turn, are almost Disneyesque. Translucent water is bewitching. Together, the mixture gives a beautiful effect. Next to none plot however, means even the 13 minutes of the film make you drift away.

JUNU KO JUTTA (THE SHOES OF A LITTLE GIRL)

Watchable. A simple short film about a girl learning how to wear shoes. An exotic Nepalese view on her way to school. That's it.

BENIM KUCUK SOZLERIM (MY SHORT WORDS)

Switched off. Nothing much happens. You just follow a group of boys who don't do anything of interest and don't talk about anything important.

나는 보리 (BORI)

Watchable. It's very good: the plot's original, characters likeable, showing subtly but in-depth what it's like to be deaf in the society. The movie's masterfully shot, the seaside town pleasant, the film's plausibly acted and totally involving in spite of a niche topic. What's missing is the parents' professional life. They seem reasonably well-off but, taken how they are either involuntarily or deliberately but surreptitiously discriminated against, it needs further explanation how they make a living. From working on a ship at nights by the father alone? He's poor at fishing. So that context is missing. Also, the shop situation lacks a satisfactory closure which left me vexed.

Sadly, in Poland, it's translated via English instead of directly from Korean.

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KARSTEN OF PETRA BLIR BESTEVENNER (CASPER AND EMMA - BEST FRIENDS)

Watchable. Cute, with lovely animations flying in the air, a touching moment when the girl talks to her mum after her grandpa's visit but silly at times too. I also didn't like the songs - at least their Polish versions. The whole thing is perfectly suitable for nursery-age children though.

The system cut me off 15 minutes before the end due to the reservation expiry. Luckily there was technical support at hand and I got help immediately.

KUTOPPEN (CATTLE HILL)

Watchable. Pleasant animation style, an engaging story, though Klara's dream is derived from teenage cinema and her father's problem from several other movies for all age groups. Still, the worst downside are Polish versions of songs. Only the original one over the end credits was quite pleasant.

OPERASJON MUMIE (OPERATION MUMMY)

Watchable. Superb cartoon opening credits. What follows is a run-of-the-mill story of underage detectives and a robbery in a museum. Fun to watch but nothing new.

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BINTI

Switched off. Crazy, unnatural acting, no plot.

KARSTEN OG PETRA PA SAFARI (CASPER AND EMMA ON SAFARI)

Watchable. The little children with their talking mascots are as silly as ever but in this movie you can admire beautifully shot African animals. I also liked it when their grandpa (wonderfully acted) got caught in a trap and I enjoyed the African song over the end credits.