30/07/2009

Even though Piotr Dumala (Crime and Punishment, Franz Kafka) insists that he doesn’t want to remain an obscure artist, but wants his work to reach out to a wide audience, his latest film seems to confirm his position as a unique director who appeals to those who prefer sophisticated films with true artistic values.

With Forest (which has just premiered at the Era New Horizons Festival in Wroclaw), Dumala, an indisputable master in the art of animation (2003 Valencia Moon Award for Career Achievement), makes his live-action debut.

The proportion of filmed scenes is striking: in this black-and-white film, the director clearly puts the emphasis on the actors, whilst subtly incorporating animated elements.

Forest centres on a father (Stanisław Brudny) and son (Mariusz Bonaszewski), with the former living out his final days. The atmosphere is intimate: in a bedroom, we watch them (through the lens of cinematographer Adam Sikora) and, while the son looks after his father, every gesture, every fragment of conversation resembles a "goodbye".

In the second, more metaphorical part of the film, the same pair make their way through the forest. Dumala’s work, in which Wroclaw audiences recognised the influence of Bergman’s art, Tarkovsky’s Stalker and Sokurov’s Father and Son, is clearly inspired by the Bible (Old Testament) and the story of Abraham.

The film was produced by Eureka Media, in co-production with Andersa Street Art And Media and with co-financing from the Polish Film Institute, The Chimney Pot and Silesia-Film.

The title is set to be released domestically on January 8, 2010 by Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty.

(Translated from French)