Behind the Blue Door (2016) Poland

A door to unleash the miracles!

Original title:

Za Niebieskimi Drzwiami (Polish)

Genre:

Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy.

Length:

Approximately 4-minute read.


Review:
     I did not expect another 'Narnia' here. But I knew once learning about the plot and seeing the film poster that I might feel the familiarity. Most of the fantasy themes revolve in a similar fashion, especially those about stepping into an alternate world. So basically it is a cliche than any other way around we think.

     As for children's perspective which this film was aimed for, there's nothing to whine about. Surely they would enjoy watching it. But us being the grown-ups, we must give up the adultness, if we want to have a good time with it. This is a harmless film in anyway and has to have in its way than ours.

     I can defend it if I want to, but the point is the grown ups should stop the way they look at such film and reject them like it was made for them or forced to see it. For me it was only just an above average. The attempt was great. The film originally based on the book of the same name. Colourful visuals, particularly in those required parts. But the depth was missing. The story was very simple. There were no big adventures or goes deep into the characters. But at the end, it all feels it had went through a lot. Every detail, the twist, all falls into a line.

     It was about a mother and her young son, Lukasz. They seem a little joyous family. On one morning while driving to the school, an accident happens. Leaving Lukasz fractured knee, but his mother in coma. Then his old school aunt comes in and takes him back to her place as she has a business to take care. Not knowing what would happen to his mother, while wandering around, Lukasz enters an alternate dimension. It was fun in the initial, but then a trouble follows him. Now with the help of his new friends, he has to fight back the dark force threatening to take over his world.

 It does not look curable. I reckon she's done for. 

     The visuals were not impressive. But then it does not matter if you get the twist correctly. Overall an acceptable quality for sure. The twist was decent, but it could be a surprising one of the kids. From all, the antagonist was really something to be scared of. I mean for the little one. Yes, the bad guys were terrifying. Something that you see in horror films. Graphics or make-ups, whatever it was, they have done a nice job. But surely the little kids would be frightened of it. I mean like below 7. That's what the parents should be careful of.

     I'm sure these youngsters are the fresh faces, but they were good. The filmmakers too did their parts very well. Since I haven't read the book I can't compare. Though looks it was not a bad adaptation. I did not see it digital 3D, that experience would have been another level. But it depends whether you favour that technology or not. The west has already given up on it, except for the mega projects. But in the east, the trend still remains. So I think it would have been nice to watch in 3 dimensions. Because such film somewhat relies on that kind of format.

     This is a Polish film and see it as the same way. Comparing it with Hollywood is what downgrades. Polish film industry is not as rich as Hollywood to stand to equal. But in its capacity, it had given a decent film. I respect that and expect the same from you as well, if you want to see it. Believe me, if this same film was made in Hollywood, even I would have said it's a poor film. That's the big difference here.

     I enjoyed watching this little Polish fantasy. I don't know it is a book series, but I'm happy with one-off. Not a bad idea to reveal previous accounts in a prequel. Either way it works for me. And finally, this is definitely a worthy film. In my personal opinion, it was much better than 'Fantastic Beasts', excluding production difference. Now you decide!



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
A Monster Calls, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Pan's Labyrinth, Jumanji, Pete's Dragon.


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The Last Family (2016) Poland

It's a mad mad mad mad family.

Original title:

Ostatnia Rodzina (Polish)

Genre:

Biography, Drama.

Length:

Approximately 4-minute read.


Review:
     This is really something. I could not believe I saw it. It was challenging, but I did it. When a biopic was made, surely there will be a solid reason behind it. That could be a positive message or highlighting the negatives or the important historic events. But it's always about how much you know about that person the film portrayed. If he is someone famous, but not in your nation, yeah, you would be desperate to learn about him through the given film. That's the case for me in here, but that's not what exactly happened.

     This was a life drama of one of the renowned Polish painters of the last century. Mainly focused on him, his family and overall their lifestyle. It was not stylish, but craziest. Yep, I could not understand the entire film and thought why someone has to make a film like this. Then it was not until the final scene, I thought worth a watch. Moreover, I was shocked how it ended, after two hours of nothing, but a family madness. Yeah, the end was like another genre. You could consider it a black comedy, which is not actually, but somehow for the reasons it feels like that way, until the final scene.

     It was the last three decades of life story of Zdzislaw Besinski. Started off in the 70s, where his son moved to a new apartment close by. But he's a trouble who attempting to self-killing. Then his ageing mother has to be taken care. So, basically there's always an issue in the family. All this insanity keeps happening for the next couple of decades. As the years pass by, as the technology changing, so do this family, but shrinking from the strength. Until the mid 2000s, where the narration comes to halt with an unexpected twist.

 Wherever I go, I've to act like other people, do what everyone else does. I've got to play a role to get the things I want or to be liked. I've to keep acting. I can't get out of this. 

     The more I recollect everything I saw, the more I started to like it. You will agree with me that the film was uninteresting in the beginning. Not just the beginning, but almost entirely. Though the value of the film will be realised once you finish watching it and as I said while analysing the scenes in your head makes to change your stance. The opening scene and the end scene are totally opposite. That's the highlight of the film, and the meaning of the title. Anyway, the final scene was sudden and brutal. Not good for little fellows.

     A feature film debut for the director. He was good though. While watching it, I thought the writing was bad. One thing I have learnt in my life was that no judging a film by its poster, its synopsis or its cast and crew, and also not after watching just a few minutes of its opening. On a few occasions, the budgets as well. So, the key for this film is the patience. Sitting for it quietly over a hundred minutes will make the difference as it did for me. But that does not mean everyone would love it at the end.

     It somewhat looks like a documentary film, that's because of the film having plenty of found footage kind of narration in parts. The actors were amazing. Like the whole film was shot in a couple of flats with a few shots elsewhere. That means, the story firmly decoding the family and nothing else. The end was sad, I could not take it. But the film was just telling the truth. Not a kind of film to recommend, but surely worth a watch if you are not looking to have a good time, I meant to enjoy watching it.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
The Last Station, I Wish I Was Here, To Walk Invisible, Loving, Selena, Mr. Turner.


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The Innocents (2016) France, Poland

When the house of peace was disturbed!

Original title:

Les Innocentes (French)

Genre:

Drama, History, War.

Length:

Approximately 6-minute read.


Review:
     From the director Anne Fontaine. Like any of her works, this is another top class women oriented film. But it was partially based on the incredible true story. Partial means, no one knows what was the actual event. The director and her writers inspired by the diary the French doctor who worked for Red Cross in Poland at the end of the World War II, who wrote down her experience on it. So, with the small-small facts the story was built on for the film. Well done job by the cast and crew.

     Whenever you hear the word/abbreviation 'WWII', it always bound with nazi Germans. Since this tale takes place just after the war, when the Soviet took over the Poland from them, it is set to reveal one of the extremely hidden secrets. Just imagine how secret it is, like you have read many books and have seen many films regarding the WWII, but you have never heard about this, until now. It is a heart rending tale, but the thing is everything's about the aftermath, how they handled their state of condition.

     Mathilde, the French doctor is fetched by a nun from the nearby convent is shocked when she reached there to see most of them are in the final stage of their pregnancy. They were sexually abused by the Soviet soldiers, but now she as to keep it quiet as requested by the mother superior. She's being an atheist and to whom she's treating, the believers, is exactly the opposite kind. But not just her, the nuns as well put aside their differences to overcome their situation.

 For us nuns, the end of the war does not mean the end of fear. 

     It's right on the coldest winter, does not tell about the original violence, but there's still a few incidents about the army atrocities, how they treated innocent nuns, even the Red Cross members. But remember nothing was the actual depiction. It would have been even better if it was a documentary film. Doing some research and telling us the tale, reading exactly as what was written in the diary. But the film was not bad, except the scene to scene, event to event it was very slow to move, except right on the point.

     The story has a twist, but it was not like very powerful. It depends on how you would consider it. Because for me, I felt it was too cruel, hard to take on. The story about church people means, you would expect a gentle kind. Or even in such situation, as in this film, to react as much as possibly generously as what they're known for. But in the first place, it was no ones fault. They all fighting for the same reason, especially keeping the outside world in mind, each one reacted differently. So it is understandable, but not all the acts were respectable.

     As the director said in her interview, this is a period film, but pretty much the same in the contemporary world where war is on. The violence against the innocent women. So it is a debatable topic. And if it was directed by some male filmmaker, he might have risked with the violences in the flashback scenes to bring more depth in the narration. The present film is kind of compromises on that, but still not easy to watch everything it shows. Particularly for the families. Great performances by all. One of the best films on this theme and of the year. The film is not to be ignored. Despite not about the war, but just like 'Under Sandet', about the following event.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Ida, Beyond the Hills, The Nun Story, Stations of the Cross, Marie's Story.


External link(s):

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Run Boy Run (2014) Germany, Poland, France

The war had no mercy on this innocent child.

Original title:

Lauf Junge Lauf (German)

Genre:

Action, Biography, Drama, War.

Length:

Approximately 6-minute read.

Review:

     Anyone who lived in the early 1940s Europe would tell you their version of the horrific story. Many people fought for their survival each day, every minute. That's when they all would have thought the paradise (earth) turned into hell. This was adapted from the recent book of the same name, which was originally based on the real about an eight year old Jewish boy. You could say it is the kid version of 'The Pianist' or exactly opposite of 'The Diary of Anne Frank' as if Anne did not take shelter, she would have done something like. Very emotional film from the very first scene to the last. They have produced some of the finest World War II films in the recent time, but I haven't felt like I did for this. Totally heartbroken!

     The saddest part is this film was underrated and under-noticed despite it was released just a couple of years ago. The reason might be, it was not a big production house film or internationally recognisable actors in it. Though I recognised a couple of German, Polish actors who were on the small roles. It was jointly produced by Poland, Germany and France, but should have been in the English language for the wider audience reach. Anyway, being true, including languages, which were multiple and locations would always give a perfect depiction of the event and I liked it that way. It was also good to see the Russians are not the bad guys or the roughest-toughest one we'd seen in other WWII films.

     The opening was very strong. We won't know what's going on like who is this kid, where he'd come from and heading to, but surely understandable the boy is fighting for survival against the odds. Soon a small flashback of his recent past shown, but nothing deeper beyond like his home and parents were revealed. In the ending, there's a little information about that which will get you emotionally for sure. He was very young to understand all this, yet developed a survival skill. Like they say, 'all is fair in love and war', he wasn't a warrior, but what he did has to be done and it was impressive for that age. Some people helped him through, though some did not. It's all about running, running, running, like a herbivorous in the wild, not knowing when he'll become a prey to a predator.

 Keep moving. To the east, where the sun rises. 

     The journey of three years of his life was like eternal. He has to sacrifice many things, including his innocent childhood that war had no mercy on it. In one of the scenes where he seriously met with an accident, I was unable to bear it. In a film, it's all compressed for just two hours of what took years in the real life. Only Yoran Fridman knows his real experience. He can be seen in the final scene of the film. This was like a coming-of-age, but no kids should go through it.

     I know it was only a film version, but that smile, that sobbing, that fear and that strategy of survival in that age, you will lose yourself in your watch. But the entire film was only the war portion of his story. There's no earlier event, like with his parents or the post war, except at the end it skipped too far for a brief detail as any film does in that section.

     It was a fine casting. The kid in the lead was in fact played by the twin brothers. I think they switched and performed well the role they have represented. It was a great screenplay and direction. Wonderful locations, especially creating those war like atmosphere. A fitting background score, it was a perfect film that brought back to us on the screen of the 75 years ago Poland when the Nazis army roamed. But I had zero idea of the film, not even knew it was a war film. It was a last minute decision to check it out and I made the right one. Like this way I'd found many hidden gems, that's what I love to do and spread the word.

     Films like this usually have more unpleasant events. But involving a kid in such circumstances were even more painful to watch if you are a light hearted. Though a film like this should not be missed. This is a must watch film among WWII themes. I don't think so, I would forget everything I just saw in this film, not for anytime soon and I definitely recommend it to those who are seeking a title, but not sure which one to opt. Mainstream world should know this film and I hope my this review contributes a little for that. So, go guys go, watch it now if you haven't.

Suitable for:

Tween, Teen, Adult, All

Final verdict:

Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent

Similar movies:

Lore, Strayed, The Book Thief, In Darkness, Defiance, The Pianist, The Way Back.

External link(s):

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