A portion of past year's fare: 

THE PIPER

Watchable. The plot being set in an orchestra, with a folk tale inspiring the action is original in the genre. Mediocre music (Debussy and Bach). Not scary. The career plot is engaging.

NYAD

Recommended. Doctors thought it humanly impossible. She was a woman, over 60. And she proved them wrong. Battling herself, an ocean current, sea creatures, salt water, heat. She's cut out for achievement and for marathon swimming itself. It's a doozy story of a spunking woman and a gripping sports documentary. The actors are made look like the original crew. John Burtlett died in 2013.

KICIA KOCIA NA PIKNIKU (KITTY KOTTY ON A PICNIC)

The set comprises of:

KICIA KOCIA NA PIKNIKU (KITTY KOTTY ON A PICNIC), KICIA KOCIA GRA W PILKE (KITTY KOTTY PLAYS FOOTBALL), KICIA KOCIA: TO MOJE! (KITTY KOTTY. IT'S MINE!), KICIA KOCIA JEST CHORA (KITTY KOTTY IS ILL), KICIA KOCIA NA PLAZY (KITTY KOTTY AT THE BEACH), KICIA KOCIA NA TRAKTORZE (KITTY KOTTY ON A TRACTOR), KICIA KOCIA NA BASENIE (KITTY KOTTY AT THE POOL) 

Watchable. This set contains some bizarre ideas like setting up a tent which is meant to prevent flower petals from falling into food but I doubt this kind of tent would work for real, or to change into a dry swimsuit after swimming - what for?! On the other hand, it shows how a kid can play with a disabled one in a respectful and egalitarian way and it's very natural, or how a kid can enjoy a pool even without swimming. It's all warm-hearted and colourful with kitten-like Kicia Kocia cute as ever. 

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

KAJTEK CZARODZIEJ (KAYTEK THE WIZARD)

Switched off. I'm not sure if it's director Magdalena Łazarkiewicz's fault or if the tale by Janusz Korczak has aged so badly. In spite of the title it's not a fantasy flick for children. It's a sepia-toned gloomy drama about a bullied kid whose mother passed away and about racial segregation before the war. The movie looks and sounds like in the Polish 90s: screaming for more funding, with disastrously fake special effects, wooden acting and a totally implausible fantasy plot on top of all the heavy drama which I couldn't stand even as an adult. Outdated in all respects. 

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

KLANGOR EP. 1

Watchable. Maciej Musiał, Wojciech Mecwaldowski - miscast in a dramatic role, superb Konrad Eleryk, professional cinematography don't save this story. It's not completely comprehensible, partly due to poor recording of dialogue, and lacks suspense, even at the end of the episode. 

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

Past year's:

THE KILLER

Watchable. A tedious drama about a hitman, full of genre cliches. In fact, in the beginning, the protagonist says: "If you can't handle boredom, you're not good for the job" so it makes me a viewer not good for this movie. The killer muses on life, his profession and repeats the mantra of his rules, which he rarely follows anyway. But if you are to see the film, a big screen will compensate for the sketchy plot, where characters are just nominal: the hit people (Tilda Swinton stands out, surprisingly, as a cold-blooded killer), the client, the attorney (ordering the kills), with wonderful cinematography, where a plane is reflected in the glass of a skyscraper, colourful lights of a city or a wet road mesmerise, a lit landmark shines through the windows of a penthouse at night. The plot takes you from charming Paris, through verdant Santo Domingo or the Dominican Republic, to the heat of Florida or New Orleans or the cold of Chicago. 

Past year's:: 

PRZEGLAD NOWEGO KINA NIDERLANDZKIEGO (NEW DUTCH CINEMA SCREENING)

NR. 10

Watchable. I got to the screening probably 3 minutes late so for me it started with a theatre rehearsal - boring. But inexplicable behaviours of the protagonist's family and colleagues ensue. The situation in the theatre is part of that. Then it turns out some men interfere in the man's life. So the drama becomes a mystery, then turns into science-fiction and finally grotesque. Bizarre.

Some more past year films:

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

WJFF SHORTS: "POLIN G9"

RODZINNE ZDJECIE (FAMILY PHOTO)

Walked out. The kids were disgusting. 

SERNIK (CHEESECAKE)

Watchable. Memorable for "I asked my mother what word "Großmutter" meant. Jewish children just didn't have grandparents." Apart from the story, it consists also of portraits (of adults) but in colour - contemporary, lots of kids - I averted my sight. At least the dog portrait at the very end is so cute.  

WARSAW CALLING

Watchable. Lots of emigration in the family history. Meeting the extended family online constitutes this very basic video.. 

JANKEL'S SHTETL

Watchable. The opening landscape and workshop look fine. The middle part is dull. He dances in the finale so it ends joyfully.

SARITA

Watchable. The Brazilian and Polish story of looking for a bride starts intriguing but is another boring family tale as it's being told. 

All the short films were merely family videos, not interesting for outsiders. The quality of screening in the Legacy Gallery of Polin Museum was also poor, mostly because the screen is built of visible squares. 

WSZYSTKO TO, CO MAMY (ALL THAT WE HAVE)

Watchable. A budget, black and white, documentary, with poor cinematography, sometimes shaky, mostly a bit blurry, and sound so substandard I had to read subtitles. The film's main vice is exactly that: many dialogues are unintelligible so, strangely, its reception will be easier for non-Polish viewers. But the content makes the viewing pleasant. The two guys forming the band touring penitentiaries are so positive, with a sense of humour, e.g. when the older one says some people come to their gigs year after year only to see if he's still alive. Both musicians, educated by the university of life, have a very healthy attitude to their criminal past and to social issues in general. With such protagonists a film can't fail. Even if it's marred by technical incompetence. 

FIN DEL MUNDO?

Watchable. The miraculous kind of music and suspense techniques kept me watching this ludicrousness till the end. While the story is clear, the enigmas of it never get explained and the presented world doesn't make much sense. You never learn who is who. The army and president characters are just nominal: Captain, General, Our President, The Other President. Worst of all, its pace, acting and filming style look like from the 20th century in Poland, Teatr Telewizji (Television Theatre) in particular. And it's disgustingly sexist - also like in the 20th century. Ah, it's no comedy at all. The theatre of the absurd rather. 

Further past year movies: 

PRZEGLAD NOWEGO KINA NIDERLANDZKIEGO (NEW DUTCH CINEMA SCREENING)

 

ALONG THE WAY

Recommended. This true story of two teenage Afghan girls trying to get to Europe starts in Iran, focuses on the period when they are working in Turkey to earn for their passage to the Netherlands to join their mother and sister, covers Lesbos and ends with a note about them waiting for papers in Athens. It's not easy because of their illegal status - they've been on the road for 5 years, but they're fine so, while this refugee movie doesn't show any horrors, the awareness of the dangers: running from the police, the uncertainty who to trust, awaiting the risky sea passage make for a gripping movie.  

The director used to be a political activist but quit because they wanted to expel her from university. She also volunteered on Lesbos which proved useful for the movie. Born in 1959, Mijke de Jong belongs to the middle generation, just like director of "Nr. 10" Alex van Warmerdam. 

DE PINPAS (THE DEBIT CARD)

Recommended. A short, intense drama about one day in the life of a Polish nanny in the Netherlands. Again, nothing bad happens to anyone but the tale is intense and keeps you in suspense as a debit card situation shows how under the layer of familiarity she remains an outsider. But there are no accusations or suspicion, nothing you might expect from such a plot, the lack of predictability is this short film's saving grace. In fact, it's all warm. 

Directed by Thijs Bouman, very young, has made only shorts.

SAW X

Watchable. This instalment of the "Saw" franchise takes you back to the time when John Kramer was alive but it builds on previous parts so you see Amanda working with him. The set-up with cons luring disbelievers in the big pharma is brilliant. Kramer's professional background in architecture and civil engineering is spot on. The traps and detainees part of the movie is gripping. The twist where one character turns out to be a 100% psychopath is brilliant. But how many remakes of the traps can you watch? And Cecilia lives so part XI is a serious threat. This instalment offers a mid-credit tying up lose ends.

CAT PERSON

Watchable. An analysis of looking for a partner nowadays, dating, having sex with a new person for the first time, becoming a stalker. Slow but compelling in its realism, as it dwells on awkwardness of certain situations and anxieties on both sides. It's often smart in observations but the whole thing drags.

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

Some more movies from the past year:

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Recommended. Another long but totally engaging crime drama by Martin Scorsese. Based on a book based on facts, it tells the story of about 30 murders on native Americans. Who hired the hitmen is shocking. The scale of manipulation astonishes and frightens The 206 minutes are necessary to recount the facts clearly, the pace of the movie is just right. While the sound or soundtrack don't stand out, the music and storm effects at the end credits are worth staying till the end, at least in an Atmos system screening room. 

DOGMAN

Recommended. Full of love for dogs. Gripping, enigmatic, unusual. Caleb Landry Jones is unsettling yet convincing as Douglas. The images haunt you afterwards.

Again from the past year:

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER

Watchable. None of the original characters or even spin-off ones, a whole new set of protagonists. Leslie Odom Jr. as the girl's father is superb. The action starts in Haiti - shot in the Dominican Republic - with a real life reference to an earthquake which makes sense. 13 years later the protagonists are in the US and already speak with clear American accent. Catherine masturbates in the church which is a direct reference and a slightly new take on the trope from "The Exorcist " from 1973. The exorcism itself is trite and boring. A few jump scares. The realistic parts are very plausible, even in the way the two girls' school conversation is shot. The main message is: blacks should believe too, priests are indispensable for such rituals and it's girls that get possessed. Although here, in the plot, the church superiors want no interference, the subcontext is as above. 

WARSAW JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT - THE PROGRAM INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING 6 FILMS:

מזל טוב (MAZAL TOV)

Watchable. Very colourful but it's not known what dramatic event it alludes to. Does burning the food mean anything?

מכתב לחזיר (LETTER TO A PIG)

Recommended. Black and white animation with bits of reddish. On people's attitude to animals, Jewish being non-cruel. While pigs are looked at with contempt also in their culture, these animals turn out to be loving, protective, greatly surpassing humans. The film's original both in the memory part and in the phantasmagoria. The whole thing is tear-jerking and shocking.  

MOISHE

Watchable. This British short is based on facts. The Russian Orthodox Church forced conversions to Christianity too, where the main problem for Judaists was they couldn't eat non-kosher. Interesting to find it out but not much happens story-wise. 

CUT

Watchable. This Australian gay drama is quite complex but also beautiful and smart in how religions and worldviews coexist in a sign with a crescent and a cross on a rainbow flag. On the other hand, it tells of shocking religious practices including sacrificing a cock to atone for human sins. 

PORTRET RODZINY (FAMILY PORTRAIT)

Watchable. This Polish short starts with weird questions on the phone, then a weird job and, finally, the situation at work which is even weirder. 

CASTLES IN THE SKY

Watchable. NYC in the 70s, cruel and demanding rules of the religion and dull poetry slams the religious sex educator takes part in. Annoying Jewish music, at the finale suddenly Britney Spears, as it seems. 

SWIETO OGNIA (FIRE FESTIVAL)

Switched off. The physiology of pregnancy, birthgiving and a disability is quite revolting. As is the father seeing a prostitute. The constant narration is annoying. Tomasz Sapryk with his hair dyed black looks weirder, not younger. And there's nothing unusual or engaging in the plot. Just a typical Polish drama about a disabled person.

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

HORROR STORY

Watchable. After Adrian Apanel's earlier fantastic short film "Stancja" ("The Last Room on the Left") I expected better. While the set-up, where a young man is looking for a room to rent and the landlady and the housemates are all weird, and the lead actor are the same and Jakub Zając, Konrad Eleryk, Michalina Olszańska excel in their roles and the comedy is funny, e.g. when Tomasz is eavesdropping and his neighbour sneaks on him from the back, many gags are old chestnuts. We all know the standard of self-presentation trainings or job interviews. And there's no horror, just a dash of magic in the story this time. Deflecting stupid interview questions is superb though. 

Some more past year stuff:

MLODE HORYZONTY (YOUNG HORIZONS) FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

PETTSON OCH FINDUS (PETTSON AND FINDUS) - FILM SET:

UBERRASCHUNG FUR PETTERSON (A SUPRISE FOR PETTSON)

FINDUS UND DER FAHRRADFUHRERSCHEIN (FINDUS GETS HIS BIKE LICENCE)

EINE STACHELIGE FREUNDSCHAFT (A SPINY FRIENDSHIP)

DER VERSCHMIERTE BRIEF (THE PUZZLING LETTER)

Watchable. British-accent English version. 12-minute cartoon episodes. Owner Pettson, cat Findus, hens, hedgehogs, little fantastical creatures, a neighbour with his hunting dog, a postman, a neighbour with her cow, a fox in the background are there. More hens than neighbours appear in the cartoons (the actors' films had a different character balance). The stories tell about being honest, considerate to others, nice and about dreaming. Mediocre. 

Still clearing some of last year's backlog:

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL

БАТЬКО (THE FATHER)

Watchable. "Левиафан" ("Leviathan")-like atmosphere, locations, scenes. The topic: conversations about the past and reminiscences which form a convoluted plot. It drags. 

SKAD DOKAD (IN THE REARVIEW) AND Q&A

Recommended. A 5-year-old girl asks: "Mom, when you were little, was there also a war?" Some abandon a cow and dogs, others travel with their cats. The elderly tend to stay in Ukraine, families with children travel en masse. A pregnant surrogate gives insight into her motivation. On the roadside, tanks are transported by rail, blocks of flats and bridges are often destroyed, cars wrecked. The people cry but often dream of travelling through Europe since life has thrown them into it. Death, tortures, fear, bombings are a given, everyday humiliation is a norm. Many people are charged exorbitant sums for transport. It's heart-wrenching when children are passing by the sea and make their mum promise to go there together after the war. 

There's no need to transport people now, just from a point to a point. At the beginning few knew where they were heading. What was mentioned in the film was marginal behaviour: Ukrainians were charged exorbitant prices to be taken from far away. Fuel was scarce therefore expensive. 

He'd first tell them by phone he'd film. After the journey they'd give consent so as not to "blackmail" them if they had been asked before. They were filming March-September, had 450 hours of material, which took 1 year of editing by 3 people May to May.  

The film opens the eyes of people in other countries, e.g. Switzerland. 

The crew slept in an army base. Maciek Hamela once fell to the ground hearing a shelling. Locals laughed out, smoking, because 50-100 m away was "far". At blockposts, Maciek would forget all the languages he knew and speak only Polish. But most soldiers had families in Poland. He also had a stamp with a cross from Baptists. Both methods helped him skip queues. There were often 30 blockposts daily so e.g. Kyiv would take half a day.

Men often weren't evacuated. Some blacks were pushed out of trains. A lot of people in Poland were reluctant to take in Roma people. Sifa, the Congolese woman, has undergone 16 operations. 

When 180 000 turned up on the Polish border, there was no way to control the influx. Many boys tried to leave but were turned away from the border. In March-April people would come even without documents because they were lost. The Ukrainian side turned them away. 

LEK

Watchable. Sofia skips an article in English grammar which doesn't make sense because all Swiss languages have articles so such a mistake is unlikely. But that's the smallest problem with this typical Polish drama about cancer, dying, vomiting, with needless nudity and pervert actions. It's only in the last half an hour that you learn where the women's journey and the plot itself is heading. Their unusual behaviours are rarely justified or timely. It's numerous lateral characters that are far more interesting. Both Magdalena Cielecka and Marta Nieradkiewicz act unnaturally. At least this whole thing is beautifully shot. The lake in Switzerland is breathtaking. Excellent cinematography and interesting lateral characters compensate for the wooden and derivative leading subject. 

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3

Watchable. It opens with Γιώργος Αλκαίος's (Giorgos Alkaios's) hit "Opa" so you want to go dancing right away. Other catchy tunes appear too, though not as danceable as the first one. It's sometimes funny, e.g.: "Greek aunties are better than dating apps", often gross, e.g. the boobs apron or shaving at the breakfast table, but the whole thing conveys camaraderie and the notion we survive as a community, extended families being essential. A Syrian joins the clan so, with all the Athens and Corfu vistas - shot on location, it changes the tone a bit - literally, into Syrian debka music. Cheerful but forgettable.

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL

ЛЯ ПАЛІСІАДА (LA PALISIADA)

The movie won the main actors' film award and got a special mention for cinematography at the festival. But the jury's 2 votes came form Joanna Kos-Krauze - a very poor director, whose "Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali" ("Birds Are Singing In Kigali") I reviewed a few years ago and 1 vote from Jowita Budnik - a mediocre actress. 

Walked out. It's awfully staged and stilted. It looks like a series of theatrical scenes shot through a smudge on the camera lens. No conversation makes sense or is engaging. Total rubbish. Poorly acted too.

Clearing some of last year's backlog:

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL

ДЕНЬ НЕЗАЛЕЖНОСТІ (UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENCE. AS IT IS)

Watchable. Filmed 6 months 10 days after "День українського добровольця" ("One Day in Ukraine"), reviewed here in the past, Володимир Тихий's (Volodymyr Tykhyy's) new documentary again depicts one day in wartime Ukraine. Shot in several locations all over the country, this film shows how war has become normalised. It's almost boring, but proves unwavering optimism of the nation. And their sense of humour, e.g. a puppy has been named Крим (Crimea). Alarms going off every time the TV tries to honour the Independence Day are a cue that Russians may be indeed listening in. 

СХІДНИЙ ФРОНТ (EASTERN FRONT)

Watchable. War paramedics do their best to save dying people but scare and beat cows in a completely mistaken attempt to save them from a quagmire and, even more outrageously, one of them shoots a dog. The dog defends his territory, then shot, runs away and whimpering begs the shooter to spare his life, but is mercilessly murdered - the man does to him what Russians do to Ukrainians. Shaky camera dominates, the documentary is chaotic, protagonists tell stories, which is mixed with action. No way to tell what happens when. No ending indicates the war goes on but the lack of order in the plot lets you catch just snippets of information and it all drags at times. You learn why Russian is spoken in cities and Ukrainian in villages - there was no point in relocating Russians to villages (after the holodomor) and how 8 years of Russian propaganda blocks people from accepting the truth until they see it with their own eyes since they trust nothing anti-Russian they're told. 

СМАК СВОБОДИ (TASTE OF FREEDOM) Q&A

The film was shot in 2021 i.e. before the full-scale war, now the title has gained a new meaning. It shows their dreams before and what they want to return to. 

One of the actors used to work in a restaurant for real to prepare for this acting job. Alexei Yakutov really has a restaurant and let them in for a day to see. Lots of Ukrainians are interested in cuisine and possess deep knowledge about it. The recipes in the movie are original ones from Ольга Франко (Olga Franko's) book. The book contains 50 recipes for borscht - for the poor and for the rich. 

Тетяна Малькова (Tetyana Malkova) (Leosia) has been in Poland for 1.5 years. She has 3 children so came to Poland to protect their psyche. At the start of the war she rang Tomasz Sobczak: "How is Poland?" He immediately responded: "Where shall I take you?" She would take out glass from the ground in front of her block to make a playground for children on arrival. Now she's acting in Polish serial "Na dobre i na złe" so she's working in her profession and she gets to tell the Ukrainians' story in it. In Ukraine, she often ad-libs, here she had to learn Polish by sounds to understand when a Pole ad-libs. Her co-cast would ask her to bring Ukrainian food when she goes there.

The Korean-Ukrainian actor who played Leosia's pal died in the war while helping children in Irpin. YouTube "Culture and War" shows creatives, including the director of "Кiборги" ("Cyborgs"), Олег Сенцов (Oleh Sentsov), even 2 ballet soloists, fighting in the war.

Poles are now tired of talking about the war, while in Ukraine there's no way to hide from it, cinema is such a hideaway. All of them could do with sleep and space to cry. The actress who played Ольга (Olga), Ірма Вітовська (Irma Vitovska), says documentaries are a priority now. "20 Days in Mariupol" is candidating for an Oscar. She foresaw the war but "you can prepare as much as you want but can never be ready". Once when they were filming there were fights in the city, they had to stop filming for 2 hours because of drones. The producer thought at some point: "It's 11:30 p.m., in half an hour there's curfew. How will we go back home? No, we're in Warsaw." 

Ukrainian cinema was in stagnation for 20 years after 1994 when it was thwarted by Russia so people stopped going to the cinema.

БЛОК НАГОРОДЖЕНИ КОРОТКОМЕТРАЖНИХ ФІЛЬМІВ (AWARDED SHORT FILM SET)

The set comprised of the 2022 winners:

ROZWIAZANIE (DELIVERY)

Watchable. About psychological violence inflicted on a dependant and feelings and thoughts around surrogacy. A cautionary tale of the risks taken by women deciding to become surrogates or to hire one. Blackouts in the cut halt the otherwise engaging story and make no sense in such a short film. 

МАРІЯ (MARY)

Watchable again. Looks staged like in the theatre but the story's shocking. No back story in the film, only in its synopsis.

ІНША НІЧ

Watchable when seen again. This Kharkiv-set documentary basically deals with what people do with obtained information. Thought-provoking, edifying. But not very engaging in the way of story-telling.

ФАЗА (PHASE)

Watchable again. An engaging story of an assumed crime. Slaughtering animals in the background to the main story is disturbing. 

ЗЛАМАНЕ

Watchable. An engaging story of returning from war and attempting to live normal lives while the scars are sometimes even physical. Great music. The ending is nothing in particular.

HOMO DEUS. ЛЮДИНА Є БОЖЄСТВЕННОЮ

Watchable. A peculiar story of a weirdo youngster feeling lonely. Lots of fantastic music: "One More Day", "Bounce" by Monotonne.

БЛОК КОРОТКОМЕТРАЖНИХ ФІЛЬМІВ III (SHORT FILM SET III)

The set comprised of 5 short films:

ЯК ЦЕ БУЛО / JAK TO BYLO (AS IT WAS)

Watchable. Youngsters party toasting the Ukrainian army or talk about mines, forbidden under the Geneva Convention, but other than their friend visiting from Berlin, crying on departure knowing she might never see them again, nothing much happens action-wise. 

RODZINA 

Recommended. A documentary about successful Ukrainian expats going home to protect their close ones after the war outbreak. They explain their motivation. Wonderful and astonishing. Powerful. 

THE MONKS

Recommended. In this documentary Ukrainian monks tell about how common ties with Russia were and how the invasion took them by surprise. Graphic descriptions of invaders' determination to kill and of sustained injuries enhance your knowledge of Russian atrocities, The monks' resilience, peace in mind and of mind hit you hard. 

СИНІЙ ПТАХ. ПОЕТ. МУЗИКАНТ. РЕЖИСЕР (THE BLUE BIRD. POET. MUSICIAN. DIRECTOR.)

Watchable. The only good thing I can say about this documentary is it's dynamic. Other than that, for the 29 minutes, looking forward to the next film in the set, I kept wondering why somebody shot a documentary about alcoholics living in squalor and imagining what they create is poetry. In fact, it's a chaotic picture of how low humans fall when they succumb to addictions. People run naked in the scenes along the end credits. 

The producer was rude and full of herself, her kid, utterly spoilt, was jumping on his seat throughout the film set. Well, like producer like film.

ПЛИН (THE FLOW)

Recommended. Amazing cinematography plays with colours, lights, the outbreak of the war is strangely beautiful. Vivid, evocative images. 

Full-length films:

ЖИВІ (THE LIVING) (2008) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR

Recommended. A harrowing documentary about the holodomor of 1932/33 with deeply moving survivors' testimonies and the true story of Gareth Jones, the Welsh journalist who tried in vain to pass on the message to the UK. He had got off the train, crossed on foot to Kharkiv region in Ukraine and visited two villages. He was later shot in Manchuria where he was accompanied by a fat Russian driver. Heavy stuff.

The director says films age fast but he hopes his won't. 25 thousand people would die daily, but still in 1934-5 people would die of post-holodomor complications. Where those people died of hunger, Russian settlers were sent in in the 50s. Their descendants now have formed the Donetsk and Lugansk Republics. But in the Kharkiv region Ukrainian is spoken in villages. A psychologist worked with the crew and the protagonists. It was the first time they told about it. Saying: "good bye, we have to leave" was the hardest. All the protagonists are no longer alive. The director saw part of "Obywatel Jones" ("Mr. Jones") and found it very Hollywoody. There's a Museum of Holodomor-Genocide in Kyiv. There's also a Canadian documentary "on the holodomor" but with footage taken from the Leningrad blockade.  

W UKRAINIE (IN UKRAINE) AND Q&A  WITH DOP PIOTR PAWLUS

Recommended. From ironic shots of newsmen to a dog looking at his ruined flat. The documentary sees also packs of dogs, some limping, fed by benevolent people - these are the most powerful shots. People live, have fun. Ruins. Little boys enact war. Nearly no words. But the pictures speak volumes.

DoP/writer/director Piotr Pawlus, 38 years old, would first go with aid, 2-3 weeks later he decided it was historical so he needed to document. He used a pocket-size camera. He made use of two local drivers and one interpreter. When somebody didn't want aid, he'd leave them money. Plenty of most affected people refused bags of food because other villages would need them more. Once at a blockpost they found themselves at point blank when he got off the car to light up (he's a smoker) even though he had the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence accreditation. He went to the front line once and never again. Writer/director Tomasz Wolski didn't want to risk his life. As for life during war, Piotr Pawlus remarks that at WW2 there were also plays in concentration camps. The last scene was shot from the pavement. There was mine danger around the building. Not many people are left in the village close to the Russian border where many packs of dogs live. Locals and volunteers come to feed the dogs. There are also Ukrainian and international organisations specialising in animals. He doesn't like canines. In Leh, India, near Tibet he was attacked by a pack of dogs. His next project is connected with Ukraine - it's due to come out in the spring. 

КУЛЬТУРА ПРОТИ ВІЙНИ (CULTURE VS WAR) AND Q&A WITH PROTAGONIST

Watchable. Music, insufficient arrangement of the material, game-like, almost-3D shots detract form the message. Yet the realistic photo stills hit you hard anyway. The photographer couple part is the most orderly. The final part "Калина" ("Kalina") song is moving.  

4 novellas out of 6 shot are in the film. Ахтем Сеітаблаєв (Akhtem Seitablayev), who starred in "Haytarma" reviewed here before, directed "Мирний 21" ("Myrnyi-21") and came to the festival with his fiancee, says that whenever he travels Poland, he sees the country as one which has achieved what Ukraine aspires for. He had to learn to walk anew after a spine injury. But in 2022 he had no doubts about joining the army. None of his company in the army likes war. Movies and real life war are drastically different (no smell in films). Russian soldiers either claim that they went training and didn't know they were going to war or that they were forced. He thinks 95% lie. They can take clothes off a killed child and and give it to theirs. Like hundreds of years ago in Poland, Russians were known as "kacapy" ("кацап" meaning "butcher", as the actor explained). He's been shooting only war cinema for 10 years but he thinks that if it happens to him, God wants it. "Cold War" and "Ida" were inspirational to him. Now he and his friend want to make a crazy black comedy. He's Muslim, thinks in Ukrainian but thanks to his family and theatre he speaks Crimean Tatar. "How could I live in Crimea now?!" He's not living there any more, hasn't been there in 9 years, he's allowed to enter but not to leave. 

The Moscow Patriarchate over the Orthodox Church was banned on 20 October 2023.

ТИ МЕНЕ ЛЮБИШ? (DO YOU LOVE ME?) AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR

Watchable. Painstakingly recreated 1990 in Eastern Europe - unpleasant but realistic. A 17-year-old in search for love wherever she sees a chance: she longs to get it from parents, grandparents, men. It shows what matters to young girls the most. This and learning independence, having dreams. Excellent sound and sound effects.

The director's parents divorced, she never ran from home or had a rabbit but she was in an acting school. She's now collecting funds for her new absurd comedy like her first film and "like Ostlund".

Я, НІНА (LUCKY GIRL) AND Q&A WITH PROTAGONIST

Watchable. Top-notch all-body make-up and visual effects kept me through this regular drama about career. The celebrity is a bitch at the beginning. The rest is like in every other cancer movie, with the added nonsense of cutting off an arm because cancer has spread to blood. 

Her book sold out in Ukraine, there was a reprint so she decided to make a movie. The original protagonist has both arms, looks healthy and has black hair. 

КОЗА НОСТРА. МАМА ЇДЕ (KOZA NOSTRA)

Recommended. A comedy with a script using a mix of tried and tested ideas, where a mafia capo needs to go straight and is surrounded by inept mafiosi, with some elements of a comedy of errors, but also with some not so obvious twists of action and, most of all, an array of wonderful characters. Especially the eponymous mama, acted by superb Ірма Вітовська  (Irma Vitovska), is endearing. Shot in Ukraine and Ragusa in Sicily, it's filled with warm colours and good or bad intentions. Wonderfully joyful music plays till the end of the final credits. Fun till the very end.

CLAREMONT: A KILLER AMONG US EP. 1

Recommended. A gripping documentary about mysterious disappearances of young women in a safe neighbourhood where everyone knew their locals. Details of the investigation keep you on the edge of the seat.

Seen courtesy of Canal +.

SOUND OF FREEDOM 

Recommended. Life imitates art, as Oscar Wilde would say. The riveting action is so movie-like, it's hard to believe it's based on a true story. You learn of the scale of child trafficking operations, why they're so successful and state institutions powerless. The story about a guy who went the extra mile opens with angelic music. Next comes a shocking twist of action, already before the opening credits. Each scene is evocatively shot, intense, gripping. Top-notch cinematography enhances the climate. Bill Camp as Vampiro and Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard stand out even among the all-superb adult and child cast. It's probably the most incredible movie of the year 2023. A shock follows a shock throughout the plot, e.g. it's a fact Miss Cartagena Kelly Suárez was charged with pimping and pandering minors to pedophiles. The final shock is the statistics given in the ending.

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

FERRARI 

Watchable. It's more like "Marriage Story" (reviewed here in the past) than "Le Mans'66". The racing and funding aspects are certainly more engaging than the protracted unfaithful husband story. I seriously considered walking out. The infidelity resulting in a son out of wedlock matters business-wise but the proportions of marital issues to car racing are just skewed. About half an hour towards the end comes one graphic sequence of a racing accident - shocking in such a bland movie. No adrenaline though.

MON CHAT ET MOI (A CAT'S LIFE)

Watchable. Cats, big and small, a dog, a wild boar, a lynx for animal lovers. But excessive music, loud at times, detracts from the feeling of authenticity.

ROBOTS

Watchable. It's based on "The Robot Who Looked Like Me", a 1978 short story by Robert Sheckley and, typically for the author, it's puckish. The speaker in the first scene is called Larry Underwood - if anyone wants to look for hidden modern references. Surrounding sound means decent production quality. The film's too vulgar though, I doubt that comes from Sheckley, some jokes are bottom-end. But the whole thing is totally engaging, with great twists of action even if not very funny. Still good sci-fi fun. 

UKRAINA! FILM FESTIVAL

This year's festival ran for 6 days in Warsaw and till December it's replicated in several other cities of Poland, it had its online edition too. More than 60 films were presented and 17 events accompanied them, including the first ever masterclasses: one of a Ukrainian scriptwriter and one a Ukrainian director.

СМАК СВОБОДИ (TASTE OF FREEDOM)

Recommended. Inspired by a true life cooking book from a century ago, it's a fairy tale where a dash of magic spices up chef rivalry. A charming love story, parallel to the career one, neighbour disagreements, cultural differences between classes, a mum in the background make it more "Pollyanna"-like rather than an urban career tale. Owing to professional visual effects, in this movie even accommodation issues and a job search look magical.

Sadly, the part-Korean actor from the movie has died in the ongoing war.

LETO KADA SAM NAUCILA DA LETIM (HOW I LEARNED TO FLY)

Recommended. A sunny holiday story, with occasional pleasant pop music, set in Hvar, Croatia, where a girl from Serbia is spending summer with her grandma. It's comical, especially the overbearing granny, and upbeat, even a death isn't a tragedy but a natural cycle of life. Great fun.

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