55TH KFF - REVIEWS OF FOUR SHORT FICTION FILMS FROM THE POLISH COMPETITION
We present reviews of four short fiction films included in the Polish Competition of the 55th Krakow Film Festival: "America" by Aleksandra Terpińska, "Daughter" by Tomasz Wolski, "Asshole" by Krzysztof Komander and "Moloch by Szymon Kapeniak. All the films have been reviewed by Anna Taszycka
Daughter, dir. Tomasz Wolski
Tomasz Wolski has already directed a number of interesting documentaries, focusing mostly on the changeable fate and uncertainty of human existence (e.g. Doctors, an excellent documentary from 2011). This time, he decided to test his skills with a short fiction film. The protagonists are three women, although only two of them actually appear on the screen. Daughter is a story about complicated relationships within a family and the lasting consequences of our life choices.
The film features the memorable Polish actress Teresa Budzisz-Krzyżanowska, who lately has rarely appeared on screen. Budzisz-Krzyżanowska once again proves herself capable of expressing in a concise and ascetic manner the emotions of her character, a renowned doctor long estranged from her adult daughter. She is accompanied on the screen by Katarzyna Krzanowska, an actress less known to wider audience, who performs mostly in theatre. With only a few gestures and expressions, Krzanowska manages to convey her character’s latent tension and anxiety. For a few hours of one night, the women come together in search of a missing teenage girl and, willingly or not, they are forced to face each other and to open the old wounds. The film is modest and subdued, with dominating dark colours. Surprisingly, the director decided to focus on the relationship between mother and daughter, a subject mostly chosen by female filmmakers. In a way similar to his previous work, Wolski focuses on people and their emotions. At a leisurely pace, he tells a story of complicated relationships within a family.
America, dir. Aleksandra Terpińska
According to Polish Wikipedia, Ameryka – the location of the film’s storyline – is “a small village in Poland situated in the warminsko-mazurskie province, in the Olsztyn county, in the administrative district of Olsztynek”. The protagonist, Anka, is a typical teenage girl living in a place where nothing interesting ever happens. She spends her time with her best friend Justyna: together, the girls mess around, complain about their parents, and tell each other secrets. For Anka, the time spent with her friend is her only reprieve from her family, with an abusive father and a submissive, frightened mother helpless against the domestic tyrant. Time moves slowly and rather predictably. But then a weapon appears and, like in Chekhov, it becomes evident that sooner or later someone will use it.
America has been filmed in a realistic manner. While the protagonist has wild imagination and likes to create her own, alternative versions of reality, life repeatedly drags her down to earth. Her life is hard and sometimes even unbearable. America is a typical story of initiation: some things are gained, and some things are lost as the girl enters the next chapter of her life. The vitality of the teenage girls brings to mind Spring Breakers by Harmony Korine. But the girls there do whatever they want without suffering the consequences of their choices, while in the world depicted by Terpińska nothing is for free and everything comes at a price.
Moloch, dir. Szymon Kapeniak
The events in Moloch take place in a present-day, crumbling steel plant somewhere in Ukraine. A group of young men work illegally on the grounds of the complex. One of them falls in love with a local girl, which does not sit well with his friends. Difficult working conditions and strained atmosphere lead to the escalation of the conflict. The girl does not know what to expect of the young men.
One of the biggest assets of the film is the camerawork by Jacek Podgórski. For a Polish viewer, the steelworks landscape must always to some extent bring to mind the socialist era; however, this is also the first in many years such picturesque representation of an industrial landscape. The steel plant looks like a mythical Moloch devouring his victims, who in this case are no longer children, but not yet truly adult either. The young boys placed in the industrial landscape seem lost, not only in the vast terrain of the plant, but mostly in life, as if they were not yet capable of making good choices. Moloch mentioned in the title can be a metaphor of the collapsing system, swaying on its legs, but still demanding the highest sacrifice. We do not know how the story will end or what will happen to the protagonists. Perhaps Moloch has not yet said his final word.
Asshole, dir. Krzysztof Komander
Krzysiek is a young man travelling to Gdańsk to meet with his girlfriend, Karolina. He wants to see her one last time, since the purpose of the trip is to break up with her. But Karolina is not alone in her flat when he arrives, and she is busy with preparations for the New Year’s Eve party. The young man decides to put off the break up talk, postponing the confrontation. The couple spends time together, but without much talk, being next to one another rather than being together.
Asshole is a short fiction filmed at the Faculty of Radio and Television at the University of Silesia. Young actors play the main characters: Bartosz Gelner (Floating Skyscrapers) and Agnieszka Żulewska (an intriguing actress, perhaps not yet fully appreciated by Polish filmmakers). Young people on the brink of adulthood must face not only the world, but also their own feelings, first disappointments, and the consequences of their decisions. While the film’s action is set in Poland, the subject chosen by the author remains universal.
Anna Taszycka