87. Sami Swoi. Poczatek; movie review

 

SAMI SWOI. POCZATEK

Cert 12A

118 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, language, violence, suicide attempt, sexual threat

"What happened next... you already know."

The final words might have bemused me if I had not done preliminary reading before watching Sami Swoi. Poczatek.

This is a prequel to a beloved trilogy of Polish movies from the 1960s and 1970s.

Nearly 50 years later, Artur Zmijewski's movie risks tarnishing the reputation passed down generations.

I can't comment on what native speakers might think, but I enjoyed it even without the background knowledge or the nuances of language, which might have prompted belly laughs.

Sami Swoi. Poczatek runs from 1913 to the end of the Second World War and stars Adam Bobik as Kazimierz Pawlak, a farm labourer who loves horses.

Kazimierz is a daft lad who feuds with his next-door neighbour (Karol Dziuba) and loves the beautiful but poor Nechajka (Paulina Galazka).

However, against his will, his family line him up with the surly Mania (Weronika Humaj) because her dad is slightly wealthier.

His marriage reflects Kazimierz's life, which is packed with misunderstandings and the occasional unexpected act of strength or even heroism.

Sami Swoi. Poczatek moves quickly past the First World War and when the Bolsheviks grabbed power in Eastern Europe.

Later, there is drama at the beginning of the Second World War with the rounding up of Jewish people and the invasion and occupation by the Nazis.

These are seismic changes, but there is a reassuring consistency to Kazimierz's reaction to it all.

Bobik gives a winning performance as the flawed hero, cleverly combining a naive enthusiast with thin-skinned aggressor.

It is largely down to him that I fell for Zmijewski's movie without knowing its illustrious predecessors.

Reasons to watch: Likeable period comedy drama

Reasons to avoid: A bit too daft iun parts

Laughs: Chuckles rather than laughs

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Bare bums

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? The original Sami Swoi movie was filmed in black and white but was colorised by a digital specialist in 2000.

The final word. Adam Bobik: "While preparing for the shooting, we talked to the film crew about the fact that our intention was not to copy Chęciński's trilogy. We are not those actors and there is a different director behind the camera." Onet Film

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