"BORDERLINE MIRACLES" AND "ICON" IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AT THE 56TH KFF
On May 31, in the cinema Kino Kijów.Centrum, there was the international premiere of the documentary films: "Icon" by Wojciech Kasperski and "Borderline Miracles" by Tomasz Jurkiewicz. Another screening is held on June 3, as an encouragement, we invite you to read the reviews of the films:
Borderline Miracles
The film "Borderline Miracles" is an extremely interesting portrait of people functioning between the real and mystical world, between the prose of everyday life and the mysterious extrasensory space. It is also the image of people, immersed in the immense passion. Regardless of whether it concerns creative work, healing, tracking ghosts, it is something which completes their lives, which makes them interesting and full of sense. Jurkiewicz does not judge the views or interests of his protagonists. It is also impossible to guess what is his attitude towards this subject matter. By showing the protagonists in an extremely warm-hearted, unprejudiced way, but at the same time keeping some analytic distance, he allows the viewers to make their own judgements. The moments, when Wiesław, with tension in his voice, dictates his notes to his wife, makes the stories which we had already heard before take on a totally different meaning. They cease to be a document, a report by the witnesses or participants of the event, and they become the plot of a literary horror, full of dread.
The full text of the review can be found here.
Icon
In an extremely realistic way, Kasperski shows the inaccessible, difficult to understand, world of the isolated, ill women. We see their struggles with psychological problems, when they behave aggressively, unpredictably, as well as their everyday life, when they eat meals together, take medicines, celebrate birthdays. In spite of their hopeless situation and the illness, the younger patients have the need to feel attractive and feminine. We see how they put on their make-up, colour their hair, dance to the beat of disco music. They want to appeal to the men, who flirt with them over the fence. This is a small fragment of normal life, a form of rest from the madness around them. These women still dream about returning to the world outside, to their families and homes, they want "freedom," as one of the film's protagonists said. An interesting protagonist, who functions right next to them, is the old doctor who has been involved with this place for his whole professional life. We see how he talks to the patients, asking them how they feel, how he listens to their complaints and explains why their stay in the hospital is necessary. We also hear his voice from off screen, he wonders about the essence of the illness, about human nature. He asks the questions to which he will never find the answer.
We invite you to read the entire review in our Reading Room.