LONDON - 21 March 2007 - 355 words
Film:
Retrieval by Slawomir Fabicki
Awarded a special mention by
the Ecumenical Jury Cannes 2006
Slawomir Fabicki, tipped to be one of Poland's great filmmakers,
has gained much attention for his ability to tackle the hard issues
facing today's Poland; touching on the themes of human loss and
waning morality in a Poland of unemployment, immigration and corruption.
His characters often exist in tough surroundings, forced to make
difficult decisions that take them to the wrong side of the law
in order to survive. He approaches these dramas with honesty and
sensitivity, exploring the grey area between good and evil. He
is never moralising on the predicaments of his unfortunate characters
but instead shows them as people we can relate to handling a tough
situation with a certain misguided heroism. The realism of his
films is further enhanced by his use of modern filmic conventions,
using long documentary hand-held shots and clever editing.
Retrieval is the hard-hitting and intense story of 19-year old
who, in his fight to support the woman in his life and her child,
is forced to enter a world of evil. Wojtek lives in the small
provincial town of Silesia, a grey world of derelict coalmines
and poverty-stricken streets. Jobs are hard to come by and so
when he is offered a seemingly good position as a bouncer in a
discotheque of dubious reputation he cannot refuse. On breaking
the news to his family he encounters their prejudice and fear
for his future with his immigrant girlfriend. "She's older...
unemployed... and homeless...If that weren't enough she's a Ukrainian."
However he will do anything for the woman he loves to ensure her
legal right to stay in Poland, but the more he fights to improve
their lives, the deeper he falls into a dark world of violence
and despair.
Retrieval is being screened at 6.45pm
this Friday at the Phoenix Cinema, 53 High Road, London N2, as
part of the Polish Film Festival
To book tickets call: Box Office 020 8444 6789. For more
information on the festival visit: www.PolishCulture.org.uk
© Independent Catholic
News 2007
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