Here are three films of the Main Competition of XIX Plus Camerimage!



In Darkness

By telling the fact-based story of the tragic fate of a dozen or so Jewish fugitives, who were hiding in poverty for many months of World War II in inaccessible Lvov's canals, Agnieszka Holland has primarily made a film about humanity during its most grueling test. In the reality that consists of violence and humiliation, there were still people who risked their lives for the benefit of others. Polish director does not try to explain the characters, she even displays their opportunistic side, but that is the reason why “In Darkness" becomes an honest, plausible, and - most importantly - extremely significant film.

"In Darkness", courtesy of Kino Świat
Jolanta Dylewska rose to the challenge. The cinematographer visualizes the drama of the people lost under the ground through the use of perfectly adapted lighting techniques - sometimes the light oozes from the far-away surface, but mostly it comes from the objects like lamps with yellowish glow. What is more, Dylewska masterfully manipulates not only the light, but also the shade, bringing out the terrified faces from the half-light, and thus letting the viewers tangibly feel the horror they're experiencing. Nevertheless, “In Darkness" is not only about the canals' scenes - it is also an amazing creation of Lvov during wartime, full of cultural and mental clashes.

Polish Title: W ciemności
Directed by: Agnieszka Holland
Cinematography: Jolanta Dylewska
Polish distributor: Kino Świat
Polish premiere: 5th January 2012

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El premio

Paula Markovitch has created a film which is thrilling in terms of affecting the intellect and the senses. The story of a young girl, played with great eloquence by a newcomer, Paula Galinelli Hertzog, served the director both to enrich the film with a concealed meaning about the reign of military junta in Argentine, and to create a fable-like tale of a beautifully naïve child discovering the disillusions of the grown-up world. Markovitch and the cinematographer Wojciech Staroń achieved all those qualities by creating sort of impressionist visuals emphasizing the drama. The loosely linked scenes create the exceptional atmosphere of the somewhat heightened world.

"El premio", courtesy of Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty
Wojciech Staroń has a wonderful ability for observing the manifestations of nature. “El premio" is full of scenes of strolls among the green blades of grass, or by the seashore being attacked by the curious waves. There are many shots of distant horizons and endless, sentimental beaches, evoking the feeling of watching a series of masterful paintings. Polish cinematographer has created the feeling of reality blurred with charming fairytale. Such are the scenes in which a small chamber (the girl and her mother's place of staying) is being lit with electric bulbs, thus creating an impression of observing the reality through the eyes of a young, joyous girl, still uncontaminated by the cynicism of the outside world. Staroń has also perfectly captured on camera the innocence, purity and honesty of children's faces, making the process of growing up they go through even more amazing.

Polish Title: Nagroda
Directed by: Paula Markovitch
Cinematography: Wojciech Staroń
Polish Distributor: Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty

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Nothing's All Bad

In Mikkel Munch-Fals's dramedy we get to watch the actions of several eccentric characters whose fates interweave in a curious manner, creating a peculiar mosaic of human flaws and qualities, joys and sorrows, experiencing the hostile loneliness and the everlasting charm of hope. “Nothing's All Bad's" characters are people existing outside the margins of “normal" society, no matter whether its due to some perversions or their inability to find themselves in the reality dictated by sexual mythos and drives towards visual perfection. Alienated, disappointed with life, hesitating in terms of spirituality and carnality, they just try not to give up and find in everyday life some sparkles of fulfillment.

"Nothing's All Bad", courtesy of Vivarto
Eric Kress's masterful cinematography accentuates all the emotions that overwhelm the film's protagonists. Through the use of camera angles, color composition and the adequate lighting Kress was able to display the characters' anxieties and difficulties in adapting to social rules. The cinematographer films all the people in such a way that he visually underlines their separation from the surrounding reality. And once in a while he creates an eye-candy shot - by immersing the frames in milky white or increasing their saturation - to emphasize that the characters suffocate in their own bodies while fighting for the dignity in the world consisting in constant rat race.

Polish Title: Nie ma tego złego
Original title: Smukke mennesker
Directed by: Mikkel Munch-Fals
Cinematography: Eric Kress
Polish distributor: Vivarto
Polish premiere: 13th December 2011