“Every year my expectations are very high. Sometimes they are disappointed, sometimes not. I must admit that this year disappointment was very rare,” admitted Wanat, commenting on the composition of this year’s Main Competition. In the program of the 49th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, she was particularly interested in the large number of debuts and artists whom she did not know at all or only through short films. She was also pleased with the increasing diversity of films qualified for the Main Competition.
In “Wet Monday” by Justyna Mytnik, she drew attention to the magical element woven into the realistic story of a wronged fifteen-year-old girl. She immediately pointed out that he also appeared in another film from the Main Competition, “WROOKLYN ZOO” by Krzysztof Skonieczny. “I’m glad that the creators are not afraid of allowing themselves a bit of bravado,” said the journalist.
Wanat pointed out “The Girl with the Needle” as a film masterpiece, combining absorbing drama with sophisticated visuals. According to her, in Magnus von Horn’s work, in all its darkness, “there are many rays of good, trampled by the oppressive system, but at the end this film is about hope.” “The world of Magnus von Horn is extremely oppressive. It is a picture of a society that is very cruel and this cruelty pushes people to make dramatic choices. (…) It also forces them to establish desperate relationships,” she said about the Danish Oscar candidate. She also paid attention to the form, especially the photos by Michał Dymek.
The journalist pointed out that, next to “The Girl with a Needle”, the favorite for the Golden Lions is “The Green Border” by Agnieszka Holland. She described the film, which received an award last year in Venice, as “wonderful, very important and told in an incredible way.” According to her, the jury faces a difficult decision, also due to the time that has passed since the premiere of “The Green Border” and several other films in the Main Competition. “How to evaluate (fairly) a film that is new, that has just premiered here, and a film (…) that has already been analyzed in many ways” – she asked and pointed out that next to it there is also “Under the Volcano”, Polish candidate for the Oscar, which is also considered one of the main contenders for the Golden Lions. According to her, it perfectly represents the war fears of the modern world.
As her discovery of the festival, Wanat pointed to Kamila Tarabura’s “Rzeczy Necessary”, which takes part in the Perspektywy section. The director made a name for herself thanks to the series “Absolutni debutanci”. In his feature debut, Tarabura deals with a difficult topic in a subtle way and without emotional blackmail, and at the same time gets the most out of the acting of Katarzyna Warnke and Dagmara Domińczyk. Wanat also revealed that “There Will Be No Other End” by Monika Majorek and “It’s Not My Film” by Maria Zbąska made an equally positive impression on her.
The critic noted that this year in Gdynia “they are talking about films”, and selecting awards – not only Golden Lions – is extremely difficult. According to her, the distinction for the leading female role should go to Sandra Drzymalska for “Simona Kossak” by Adrian Panek. She also pointed to Konrad Eleryk and his portrayal in “WROOKLYN ZOO”. “I’m waiting for him to get a leading, fantastic role (…) that will squeeze everything he has to squeeze out of him – and I think he has a lot,” she admitted.