Initially conceived as a short, this debut feature by acclaimed self taught animator Mariusz Wilczyński was 15 years in development. Emerging onto the festival circuit last year it won major prizes at the Viennale, Ottawa and Annecy as well as in Poland.
Using a combination of techniques, significantly drawing on paper, the story unfolds as a reminiscence of lives known, lost and held dear. Also a homage to his home city of Łódź it opens with a man puffing on a cigarette and the chimneys of the industrial town belching their smoke.
Guided by the director’s memories we enter an often nightmarish tone poem, where people are variously at odds with their environment and appearances can be deceptive. A score by renowned Polish composer Tadeusz Nalepa draws us further into the dystopian vision.
The voices are supplied by key actors and other characters from Wilczyński’s past. Watch out for Andrzej Wajda as the Warsaw Insurgent on the train.
The film will be available as a part of BFI Player subscription from 6 - 27 May.
