237. Black Mill (Czarny mlyn); movie review

 

BLACK MILL (CZARNY MLYN)

Cert PG

102 mins

BBFC advice: Contains mild threat, language, discrimination

After the huge success of Harry Potter, I wonder why more live-action movies don't have children as there heroes.

Sure, we see tales of kids' derring-do in animations all the time - the latest being Sea Beast but, since Potter, I can count on one hand the mainstream pictures which have kids as the leads.

Black Mill is a Polish film which is dark, brings forward some intriguing themes and has a dazzling finale.

And almost all of its key cast are children!

Mariusz Palej's movie stars Iwo Wicinski as Ivo, a 12-year-old who witnessed the death of his father as he heroically tried to save others at the nearby mill where he worked.

The mill which has been off-limits since the tragedy and even feared to be haunted, becomes central to the story.

Meanwhile, Iwo's widowed mother (Magdalena Niec) is struggling to make ends meet and look after her son and his disabled sister, Mela (Pola Galica Galoch).

Iwo is resentful of Mela because she takes up so much of their mum's time and, consequently, means more responsibilities for on him.

But what transpires is that she has quite extraordinary but hitherto unseen powers which emerge after strange happenings in the poor neighbourhood surrounding the now derelict mill.

Black Mill is a slow-burn - the characters are built up gently and it is initially tricky to see where the story is going.

But when the veil is lifted, it becomes surprisingly enthralling and, ultimately, satisfying.

It is a film which was only shown at UK cinemas for a very short time, so I was pleased I managed to catch up with it.

Reasons to watch: Original family thriller

Reasons to avoid: Maybe too fantastic for some

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? The Black Mill novel by Marcin Szczygielski is so popular in Poland that it is now part of the country's national curriculum.

The final word. Mariusz Palej: "I hope this film is an inspiring spark that will open the hearts and empathy of our viewers. I believe that a young viewer must be taken absolutely seriously. This is us, only at a different point in the timeline." Interia Film

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