Apparently the script for this multi-award winning film was initially rejected. In the end the script, the film, its director and actor Zbigniew Zamachowski won Polish Oscars. Shot in black and white it focuses on 15 year-old Tereska (Aleksandra Gietner), growing up in a bleak apartment block where arguments are commonplace, her father drinks and her mother seeks solace in the Church.
A series of ill judged choices divert her from her path in fashion design (where she shows real talent) into a cycle where violence and poverty erode dreams and eventually threaten life itself.
This is a strong, visceral coming of age drama with commanding performances from the largely non-professional cast that will linger with you, revealing Gliński’s eye for understanding the problems of youth, to resurface in his Piggies (2009).
The film will be available as a part of BFI Player subscription from 6 - 27 May.
