Andrzej Grabowski Movies
- 2008
Passion and politics become strange bedfellows in this romantic drama from Polish filmmaker Waldemar Krzystek. In the mid-1960's, Legnica was a city in Southwest Poland that was home to Soviet troops stationed in the country. The relationship between the Russian military and Polish civilians was often difficult; Soviet troops were not allowed to fraternize with Poles or even enter their homes, but living in close proximity with one another, it was almost inevitable that friendships and even romance would grow between them. Michal (Leslaw Zurek), was a Polish military officer who worked side-by side with the Russians, and Vera (Svetlana Khodchenkova) was the lovely wife of Yuri (Dmitrij Ulianov), a Soviet pilot who was one of Michal's colleagues. A mutual attraction led to a forbidden love affair between Michal and Vera, and three decades later, Yuri is still trying to determine if he or Michal is the true father of his daughter (also played by Khodchenkova). Mala Moskwa (aka Little Moscow) was honored as Best Picture at Poland's 2008 Gdynia Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Svetlana Khodchenkova, Leslaw Zurek, (more)
The Polish fish-out-of-water farce Double (or Dublerzy) trails the misadventures of two hapless goofballs, Leon and Max, when they travel to a Sicilian wedding and inadvertently become embroiled in the doings of La Cosa Nostra. The obvious solution - an attempt to flee by high-tailing it back to Warsaw - falls to pieces when Mafia-related problems them.from one country to another. The supporting cast features such Polish comedians as Robert Gonera and Andrzej Grabowski. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Andrzej Grabowski, Robert Gonera, (more)
- 2006
Award-winning Polish director Marek Koterski takes an unflinching look at the pathological effects of severe alcoholism on familial relationships in the no-holds-barred drama We're All Christs (Wszyscy jestes'my Chrystusami). The story concerns Adas (played at ages 33 and 55 by Andrzej Chyra, and Marek Kondrat, respectively), a father caught in the web of alcohol addiction passed down from the generations before him. The disease once threatened to destroy his own relationship with his young son. Now, after admitting his own problem and experiencing therapy and rehabilitation, Adas takes the first steps toward a challenging reconnection with his family and attempts to rebuild long-decimated bonds. As a lapsed Roman Catholic, he begins to turn toward the faith that he shunned as a youth, and recognizes the necessity of turning away from the evil, abusive legacy of his father on earth and toward his Heavenly Father as a far-superior alternative. In the end, his Catholicization will partially entail turning to Christ as a role model by assuming responsibility for his own earthly burdens (and thus, taking up his cross). ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marek Kondrat, Michal Koterski, (more)
An ordinary working woman helps to spark a revolution in this historical drama inspired by a true story. Agnieszka Kowalska (Katharina Thalbach) has been working as a welder in the shipyards of Gdansk, Poland, since 1950, struggling to support her son since divorcing her husband. Working conditions at the shipyard have always been difficult and dangerous, and in 1961 Agnieszka begins speaking out, confronting her bosses about the rights of the workers; her fellow employees are at once grateful to her and worried about what might happen if she rocks the boat too hard. Agnieszka's personal life takes a turn for the better when she meets and marries Kazimierz Walczak (Dominique Horwitz), a kind man who moves into her neighborhood. However, after a serious accident at the shipyard claims the lives of several employees and their families are denied pension benefits, Agnieszka takes the bosses to task and begins organizing a union to protect the rights of the workers, an effort that slowly evolves into Poland's rebellious Solidarity movement. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff, Strike (aka Strajk -- Die Heldin von Danzig) was based on the true story of Polish labor advocate Anna Walentynowicz, though Walentynowicz has publicly criticized the film for certain historical inaccuracies. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Katharina Thalbach, Dominique Horwitz, (more)
Encouraged by his friends to run a personal ad designed to help him find his centerfold dream girl, an ageing confirmed bachelor is taken aback to receive just a handful of responses from love-starved senior citizens. The feature film debut of acclaimed theater director and playwright Marek Rebacz, this mature-minded romantic comedy stars Polish screen veterans Roman Klosowski and Andrej Grabowski. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roman Klosowski, Andrzej Grabowski, (more)
Adam Miauczynski (Marek Kondrat) is a middle-aged literature professor, divorced, with a teenage son. Writer/director Marek Koterski's dark comedy Day of the Wacko follows Adam over the course of a long, typically unpleasant day as he deals with his noisy neighbors, his overbearing mother (Janina Traczykówna), his apathetic son (Michal Koterski), his bitchy ex-wife (Joanna Sienkiewicz), his rudely flatulent students, and, most debilitating of all, his own obsessive-compulsive behavior, and his immobilizing despair over the state of his life and the world around him. All the while, he reminisces about the woman he calls his great lost love, Ela (Monika Donner-Trelinska), and fantasizes about seeing her again. Reaching a fever pitch of depressed paranoia, Adam decides to travel to take a train to the beach to find some peace. After a harrowing trip, during which he's forced to share a compartment with a motley assortment of obnoxious fools, he arrives at the sea and lies out in the sand, hoping for a moment's tranquility as he continues his ongoing internal monologue, analyzing the failures of his life and his world. Day of the Wacko was nominated for a slew of Polish Film Awards, and won Best Actor (Kondrat) and Best Screenplay (Koterski). It was also shown at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival, and was released straight-to-video in the U.S. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marek Kondrat, Janina Traczykówna, (more)
In this Polish comedy, Nikodem inadvertently humiliates the much-hated vice prime minister, propelling his once hum-drum life as a funeral eulogist to the heights of political fame. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cezary Pazura, Anna Przybylska, (more)
A Jewish boy struggling to survive the Nazi pogrom during World War II finds an unexpected ally in this period drama. As Nazi troops invade Poland, a young boy from Krakow named Romek (Haley Joel Osment) is given to friends by his parents, who smuggle him out of town in hopes of saving him from the advancing armies. Romek is taken to a rural community, where a sympathetic farming family has agreed to put him up, under the pretense that he's a nephew whose parents have fallen ill. Thanks to his blonde hair and blue eyes, Romek is able to blend in with the largely Catholic townsfolk, though a few of the neighbors become quite suspicious when Romek appears not to know elementary prayers and church procedures. The priest (Willem Dafoe) of the neighborhood's church becomes aware of Romek's secret, and is sympathetic to the boy's problems, so in secret, he coaches Romek in basic catechism, while remaining mindful of the lad's Jewish heritage. But while Romek is getting better at fooling others into believing he's Catholic, he can't escape the signs of the devastation that the Nazi onslaught has wrought against his people. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Haley Joel Osment, Willem Dafoe, (more)
- 1998
Peter Del Monte directed this Italian drama about Polish immigrants in Rome, adapted from E. Albinati's novel, The Polish Car Window Cleaner. When Janusz (Romuald Andrzej Klos) arrives in Rome with his family, they seek employment while awaiting visas to travel on to Canada. The men in the family clean windshields of vehicles stuck in Rome's massive traffic jams. Attractive daughter Justyna (Agata Buzek), who takes care of an ill child, has a run-in with rapists. Janusz mysteriously vanishes, and his son Rafal (Kim Rossi Stuart) fears he is dead. Janusz' demented brother Zygmunt (Olek Mincer) begins to wander about the city. Janusz is on the brink of happiness with a beautiful Bulgarian, Irina (Eljana Nikolova Popova), when a botched robbery results in his being charged with murder. Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Olek Mincer, Agata Buzek, (more)
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