Tag Archives: poland
Blindspot 2017: Knife in the Water (1962)
On their way to an afternoon sailing on the lake, husband and wife Andrzej (Leon Niemczyk) and Krystyna (Jolanta Umecka) nearly run over a young hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz). Inviting the young man onto the boat with them, Andrzej begins to subtly torment him; the hitchhiker responds by making overtures toward Krystyna. When the hitchhiker is […]
Mother Joan of the Angels (1961): Quick-shot review!
Looks like I have an interest in Polish films about nuns. Mother Joan of the Angels (1961) is a creepy drama, focusing on the sociological and psychological phenomenon of mass hysteria and its interpretation within a religious context as demonic possession. Directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz and based on the supposedly true event of the Loudun possessions, […]
Blindspot 2016: The Pianist (2002)
Roman Polanski’s The Pianist (2002) is a true story of survival, and is often included in lists of the best films about the Holocaust. Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the film was also nominated for seven Academy Awards, eventually winning three: Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Its synopsis is as […]
A Timely Blogathon: Ida (2013)
A monochromatic drama set in 1960s Poland, Ida (2013, dir. Paweł Pawlikowski) is a powerful film about identity, whether this is individual, religious, or cultural; and about a young woman who seeks to navigate the muddy waters between her present identity, and a newly discovered one. Well-known for winning the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar […]
Ida (2013): “Who are you?”
Ida (2013, dir. Paweł Pawlikowski) is a truly great film – quietly brilliant, visually stunning, and emotionally powerful. It tells the story of Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland, who, before taking her vows to become a fully initiated nun, discovers a disturbing family secret recalling the horrors of the Nazi […]
FILM GRIMOIRE 