Movies

'Jestem' takes simple picturesque approach on boy's lonely quest

By Chris Garcia
AMERICAN-STATESMAN FILM WRITER
Monday, October 02, 2006

Rejected by his alcoholic mother, a boy is thrown into the world to fend for himself. He makes mucky living quarters on a derelict barge, earning just enough money for a daily bowl of soup by selling scrap metal. The boy, whom other kids have meanly named Mongrel, is 11 years old.

A girl, 9, lives in a large house nearby and befriends Mongrel. She, too, is something of a boozer, but the children find the kindlings of first love while making their way precariously, and precociously, in a cold adult universe.

Polish filmmaker Dorota Kedzierzawska based the story of "Jestem (I Am)" on the true account of a boy who ran away from an orphanage only to be turned out by his mother. The acclaimed movie, which opens the first Austin Polish Film Festival on Thursday at Alamo South, sounds a gloomy note that's gradually leavened by currents of love and hope.

"Jestem," which hasn't played in Austin, earned raves on the festival circuit. Variety declared it an "outstandingly good drama." Premiere dubbed it a "vital treasure."

Kedzierzawska, who's coming in from Poland for Thursday's screening, is noted for her naturalistic, even painterly images, the expressiveness of which frequently does the work of dialogue. As with recent Iranian art cinema, her movies, including "Nic (Nothing)" and "Wrony (The Crows)," follow child protagonists through life's rigors to communicate at once intimate and universal themes.

"My films are marked with my personal world view," Kedzierzawska says. "They are as characteristic as my signature."

The Austin Polish Film Festival is organized by the Austin Polish Society, with help from the National Film School in Lodz, Poland.

Its lineup boasts features and rare shorts by Polish film legends Krzysztof Kieslowski and Andrzej Wajda, who is providing a video greeting made expressly for the festival. Event proceeds go to scholarships for American and Polish film students. The latter will study film at the University of Texas.

Kedzierzawska spoke to us by phone from Poland with the invaluable interpretive help of festival co-organizers Mary and Zbyszek Gawron.

American-Statesman: What interested you in the story of "Jestem"?

Dorota Kedzierzawska: I read a brief report in the newspaper, and it was similar to the story of a real boy whom I met and who is the basis for the role of Mongrel in my film. The boy's story, his strength and his failed attempt to return to his mother fascinated me.

Discuss the importance of the settings in the film, the city and the landscapes.

I love the type of city portrayed in "Jestem." It's named Chelm and dates from the 13th century. The peeling walls have layers of history. These types of cities have their own atmosphere. They set the mood for my films. As for the Polish landscapes, they reflect the essence of being Polish. The scenery is a part of Polish life.

Many of your films concern children, yet the adults are often uncaring and negligent to them.

Right. For instance, the mother in "Jestem" is a person who's more childlike than her young son, who is disgusted with her irresponsible behavior. I get good results from working with child actors, but a lot of times these children are playing more adultlike roles than the adult actors I direct.

Visuals are such an expressive force in your work. You're one of the few directors — Terrence Malick and Robert Bresson come to mind — who practices pure cinematic storytelling.

I use a minimal amount of dialogue and rely more on the face of the actor. The actors' expressions, the mood, the images, the landscape, they all tell the story. I do not waste time on dialogue, letting the scenes and images speak for themselves. The visual images draw us in, taking us to the real story, the concrete story.

Your cinematographer, Artur Reinhart, spurns handheld cameras and Steadicams for what you call a "bungee system." What is that?

Artur's camera breathes with the child actor. He has created a device, a system composed of a three-sided metal frame — which is handheld or worn with a pocketed jacket — the movie camera and a bungee cord. The camera is suspended from the frame with the bungee cord, and he holds the frame and manipulates it. It allows the camera to hang in front of his face and move fluidly, in perfect sync with the actor. It creates a very different effect from a handheld or tracked camera.

How have audiences reacted to "Jestem"?

It has been very well-received everywhere it's played around the world. The best results were at a children's film festival, where many children between the ages 12 and 14 were in the audience. It was fantastic how well they understood the film. Adult audience members asked about the film and the children explained to them what it was about. . . .The children validated the film because they explained how this situation could happen in any place to anyone.

The Austin Polish Film Festival schedule

Thursday — "Jestem (I Am)" (2005). Director Dorota Kedzierzawska will be in attendance, along with Polish poster artist Leszek Zebrowski, who will sign the film festival posters he designed.

Oct. 12 — "Moj Nikifor" by Krzysztof Krause (2004). Plus a student film by Krause for the Lodz School archives.

Oct. 19 — Films by Krzysztof Kieslowski, "Amator (Film Buff)" (1979) and his first short "Urzad (The Office)" (1966)

Oct. 25 — Award-winning student films from the Lodz School, with discussions. This event is free.

Oct. 26 — "Ashes and Diamonds" by Andrzej Wajda (1958). Plus a student film by Wajda and a special video introduction by the director made specially for the festival.

cgarcia@statesman.com; 445-3649