Ekran: My Name Is Ki

As the old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. For Ki, a very distraught single mother (played by Roma Gasiorowska) she would rather have it made and squeezed for her. Realizing any money that she makes is dwindled away for drugs by her abusive dead-beat boyfriend, Ki’s mother is oblivious to what is happening to her daughter and insists she should marry him.

Breaking away, Ki continues to use her sob story of not getting a break, as a way of manipulating to get what she wants, by any means necessary. Moving into another apartment, Ki is confronted with a new roommate named Miko who is not easily swayed by her mischievous ways, but might be her only hope for some kind of happiness. However, with Ki’s inability to develop or even hold any kind of genuine human connection, her carefree attitude is finally put to the test.

So here are my thoughts on My Name Is Ki. First off, I was excited to see Roma take on a completely different role, as opposed to her cheery and optimistic persona in Listy do M. I thought she did a great job portraying such a cold and callous character. It was also interesting to get a sense of how the director, Leszek Dawid, wanted to explore breaking away from a patriarchal society and how the political, social and psychological landscapes intervene. Sadly, that’s the end of my praise.

The movie was very disjointed and certain scenes just ended out of nowhere, which actually became very annoying for me. Perhaps the director wanted to cut scenes short and leave it up to the audience to figure out what was happening, but it didn’t quite jive with me. I got the essence that the film was showing the complexity of ongoing struggle, but there is melancholy with a purpose and then just total gloom. I must say that even though the film for me was rather dull, I was invested in screaming at the TV screen because Ki is the type of person that everyone knows; the single ‘woe is me’ mother who is conniving and feels like the world owes her something. I would have liked to see some sort of development with Miko that felt genuine.

The entitlement complex is really the basis of Ki, yet if we peel off the layers, it’s all a sham and she’s just an insecure woman who has lost control and is holding on by a thread. One would admire such a woman of courage, but I cannot say that Ki’s character made me feel an ounce of sympathy. Harsh but true; the way you make your bed is the way you lie in it.

Ekran: The Fourth Dimension

The next set of films from the 4th Annual Ekran Festival called The Fourth Dimension, consisted of a 3 part series; The Lotus Community from the United States, Chronoeye from Russia and lastly, Fawns from Poland. Although separate, each theme revolved around the idea of time.

At first, the opening credits of The Lotus Community intrigue you. It gives you something to ponder on a deeper level and to maybe even reaffirm your own beliefs about the concept of time. Shortly after, it all goes down hill. I need to scratch my head and wonder what the approach was that director Harmony Korine was trying to convey to the audience. It wasn’t funny, memorable or even remotely interesting. It was mind-numbing. I can understand meaningful interpretations and even some symbolism, but I think I might have killed some brain cells in the process of watching Val Kilmer’s character banter on and on and on. He plays a crazed motivational speaker that felt like a psychedelic acid trip gone horribly wrong. Cue in some odd space sounds and a group of followers, who may just be heading towards the mother ship sooner than expected, and there you have it. Perhaps I do not understand the existentialism, but dear God, I could not sit through this ever again.

Next we have Chronoeye from director Alexsei Fedorchenko. This was another odd film that I clearly cannot fathom the praise for. Keeping on the theme of time, we meet a recluse time-traveller named Grigory who spends all his time locked away with a camera on his head, battling with the past and unable to deal with the present. His experiments are constantly interrupted by noise coming from the rather attractive neighbour downstairs. Enthralled with his work, but bothered by these distractions, he knocks on her door repeatedly throughout the film asking her to stop the noise. It’s a continuous cycle of begging for his attention/apologizing for the racket, and him declining her offers. All we see the neighbour do is dance rhythmically to music in her apartment, how captivating (note my sarcasm). Finally the climax occurs in the film, and there is a small smile across your face to see the pieces of the puzzle finally come together or perhaps to see the credits.

Completing the series, we have Fawns, directed Jan Kwiecinski. Again, if this is critically acclaimed, I must be missing something!

The sum of it. Left to fend on their own, a group of kids run amok in a small town, after an apocalyptic flood warning. Nothing happens throughout the film that is exceptionally stimulating at all, at least for me. There is a great deal of walking around aimlessly, so at least the cast got some exercise. We see a couple in lust, the usual love triangle surfaces, one person goes missing and at the end, they stumble upon a discovery that just seems to come out of nowhere. Ah and can’t forget to see the fawns appear at the end to somehow wrap up the whole movie into a meaningful piece of work. Yeah, right!

So there we have it. Obviously, I didn’t enjoy watching these movies at all. An exception had to do with some neat cinematographic moments, mainly in Chronoeye. I felt like I was at an art gallery with another person and both of us were staring at the same picture. “Masterpiece!” says the first person…. “utter drivel” states the second. Who is correct? It’s called an opinion and we are all entitled to one.

Hopefully the remaining films I have on my desk will be at least a bit more enlightening, otherwise I’m in for a very long weekend.

Ekran Film Festival: Letters To Santa (Listy Do M)

For many people, the holiday season is one that would rather be forgotten. Instead of joyful laughter, embracing love in its purest form and spending precious time with family and friends, it’s an occasion full of broken-hearts, distant memories and even final departures from this world.

Letters to Santa (Translation: Listy Do M), directed by Mitja Okorn touches on a variety of life subjects that we can personally relate to or at least know of someone who has gone down this road. The first words out of my mouth were “It’s like a Polish version of Love Actually!” If anyone recalls the British romantic-comedy, that is what I’m referring to.

The story itself takes place in Warsaw Poland during the hustle and bustle at Christmas Eve. All of the storylines and characters intersect in an uplifting way, never feeling out of place. We find hope from children’s ingenious methods of madness, realization over one woman’s infidelity, courage from a widowed father, acceptance from a life-changing secret, and more. There was a loveable mix of personalities, all having their own quirks. Sometimes, it’s not the adult cast who win our hearts though, but the children. I can definitely say that the younger cast members did an outstanding job. They were well-suited for the roles, and just adorable to watch on screen.

I think this one is more than just a feel-good movie. It has depth and especially with the comedic interludes, every character has a meaningful contribution. Even with some of its predictability as a majority of romantic-comedies can be, there are some twists, and the serendipitous moments can’t help but give you a warm squishy feeling inside…and some might call that love.

The real highlights of the film definitely had to do with the soundtrack, especially a beautiful version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” sung by musician Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. The lyrics are entirely fitting.

Love isn’t always romantic with violins playing and sparks flying above your head. Sometimes you don’t choose who you fall in love with either, they choose you. It can be messy and complicated, but when you find that missing person (or persons) who fit snug into your world, it truly feels like “the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true,” just in the most unexpected way.