33 sceny z życia / 33 Scenes from Life (Poland/DE, 2008)

directed by Małgorzata Szumowska, drama, 95 min, eng subtitles

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Szumowska's acclaimed movie, 33 Scenes from Life, is partially based on the director's own life experience. In the movie, Szumowska's alter ego, Julia (interpreted by the well-known German actress Julia Jentsch) is a well established young artist from Kraków, has a loving husband Piotr, devoted friends and enjoys the untroubled life of a Cracovian bohemian. In just one year, Julia loses everything that has made up her life. One day, out of the blue, her dog dies, then Julka's family is faced with shocking news about her mother's cancer. Then come the deaths of the mother and, shortly afterwards, her father. Her husband leaves her. While one funeral follows another, Julia's professional career goes through a period of crisis. It seems as though her entire world has disintegrated.

Julia has to ask herself, what was true and what was only a childish illusion? Is it possible to lose one's world and then retrieve it once the tragedy has passed? Where to find one's peace and strength and how to begin a new life in the completely changed circumstances of one's life? Szumowska shows that there are no easy solutions to these questions...

Awards:

Gdynia Film Festival 2008 (Best Director, Best Secondary Actress, Images, Music)
International Film Festival in Locarno 2008 (Prix de Jury)