Contrary to what other people might say, this film is not (all) about Polish resentment towards Jews. As stated in the summary, it tackles another vice: every human's unconditional reflex to do just about anything to avoid pleading guilty.
As it happens, something bad - a euphemism I'm using instead of a more precise spoiler - happened to a group of Jewish inhabitants of a town lost in the Polish countryside. It was during WWII, times were tough, everyone wanted to survive. Plus, better strange "them" than familiar "us".
A myriad excuses boiled down to one act of violence after which the town went back to post-war normalcy. People were born as usual, grew food all working week, went to church on Sundays, died. The cycle of life seemed unbroken, save for that nuisance from, as the movie's events take place around the year 2000, over 50 years ago. And no good can come from pondering about it.
The film's two protagonists learn about it the hard way. They are two brothers, one of whom has just come back after living for 20 years in the USA. Surprisingly, his mentality remained unchanged there. Contrary to that, his younger brother, who stayed in their backwater little town, had undergone a curious transformation: he started asking questions about mysterious stone tablets lying in the mud here and there.
To say that the acting is solid is an understatement. While perhaps not top-notch effort from all of the cast, overall it's nearly as good as it gets. You can expect stellar performances from a handful of elderly actors playing tertiary characters, as well as from Ireneusz Czop, one of the two main characters. The writing is fine: conversations seem natural, and there are a few very powerful monologues.
So, if Poklosie" is such a well-acted and written movie with good cinematography, music and editing – if there is nothing wrong with it, why not more than 7/10 from me? My only real problem with it is that when it comes to symbolism, the director hammed it up. I mean, the burning building, the dark forest, the good priest's heart attack at that particular moment, the rain, the way a person dies in the movie come on. Way too dramatic, I say. Fear not, though, as most of my uneasiness comes from the fact that I seriously can't stand overly symbolic images. If you're not particular about them (think moderated Independence Day) – forget what I said. Just find and watch this film, I highly recommend it.
Two more things. First, the movie's title means The Reaping", as in Harvest", but also Consequences". My suggestion for the English title would be What You Sow".
Second, Poklosie" is based on true events. Not, and I mean it, NOT like some cheap horror story. Something very similar to what is unveiled in this film really happened in at least one place in Poland during World War II. Hard to imagine, hard to stomach. Hard to remember.
As it happens, something bad - a euphemism I'm using instead of a more precise spoiler - happened to a group of Jewish inhabitants of a town lost in the Polish countryside. It was during WWII, times were tough, everyone wanted to survive. Plus, better strange "them" than familiar "us".
A myriad excuses boiled down to one act of violence after which the town went back to post-war normalcy. People were born as usual, grew food all working week, went to church on Sundays, died. The cycle of life seemed unbroken, save for that nuisance from, as the movie's events take place around the year 2000, over 50 years ago. And no good can come from pondering about it.
The film's two protagonists learn about it the hard way. They are two brothers, one of whom has just come back after living for 20 years in the USA. Surprisingly, his mentality remained unchanged there. Contrary to that, his younger brother, who stayed in their backwater little town, had undergone a curious transformation: he started asking questions about mysterious stone tablets lying in the mud here and there.
To say that the acting is solid is an understatement. While perhaps not top-notch effort from all of the cast, overall it's nearly as good as it gets. You can expect stellar performances from a handful of elderly actors playing tertiary characters, as well as from Ireneusz Czop, one of the two main characters. The writing is fine: conversations seem natural, and there are a few very powerful monologues.
So, if Poklosie" is such a well-acted and written movie with good cinematography, music and editing – if there is nothing wrong with it, why not more than 7/10 from me? My only real problem with it is that when it comes to symbolism, the director hammed it up. I mean, the burning building, the dark forest, the good priest's heart attack at that particular moment, the rain, the way a person dies in the movie come on. Way too dramatic, I say. Fear not, though, as most of my uneasiness comes from the fact that I seriously can't stand overly symbolic images. If you're not particular about them (think moderated Independence Day) – forget what I said. Just find and watch this film, I highly recommend it.
Two more things. First, the movie's title means The Reaping", as in Harvest", but also Consequences". My suggestion for the English title would be What You Sow".
Second, Poklosie" is based on true events. Not, and I mean it, NOT like some cheap horror story. Something very similar to what is unveiled in this film really happened in at least one place in Poland during World War II. Hard to imagine, hard to stomach. Hard to remember.