The film „Sezony” („Seasons”), directed by Michał Grzybowski, caught my eye already a few weeks ago when pre-release screenings appeared in cinema repertoires. You need to admit it – such a cast, full of known and talented actors: Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza, Łukasz Simlat, Wiktoria Filus, Andrzej Seweryn, Sebastian Pawlak, Andrzej Grabowski, Dobromir Dymecki is impressive, isn’t it? Although, on the other hand, any film can be spoiled by a poor script…. Intuition told me, however, that if there was a surprise in this case, it would only be for the better. But at that time the lack of synchronisation of my personal schedule with the cinema repertoire meant that a visit to the cinema had to wait. Until the 49th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. It was a bit of a coincidence that I saw this film on the very first day of the festival. But as they say: nothing happens by chance…. And I believe this more and more!
I won’t give away too many details so as not to take away anyone’s enjoyment of this film. The bare minimum needed to outline the plot (and encourage you to attend a screening) is that the main characters Marcin (Łukasz Simlat) and his wife Ola (played by Agnieszka Dulęba-Kasza) are a married couple of actors in crisis. The case is complicated by the fact that they act together in a play and try to (un)clarify their private affairs in every free moment. Also at work. By force of fact, many people from the theatre are involved in the details of their lives. This leads to many funny situations, mainly for the viewer – hence the classification of the film as a comedy. However, no matter how humorous the portrayal of the topic of relationship misunderstandings (any relationship, not just marriage), it is a personal drama for the people who are affected by it both directly and indirectly (hence my question why this film is classified as a comedy).
The film does an excellent job of illustrating one of the biggest problems we face today – communication. In both our personal and professional lives, we fail to communicate effectively, settling for insinuations, conjecture rather than clarifying what „the author really wanted to say”. Contrary to what many believe, telepathy is not the best way to communicate. And when in a rush of daily activities, we often forget who should really be the first recipient of our decisions. Such an incisive message, however, would not be possible without an interesting script, rich in interesting dialogues and great acting performances. The film is set during the work on three different plays and the theatrical backdrops woven into the plot perfectly complement the personal threads of the main characters. Interestingly, the supporting characters (or perhaps better say – the characters that are not Marcin and Ola) complement the whole film with equal clarity, and all the details (such as the colour scheme in the play) stay in the memory for just as long with the plot.
In addition, the action of the film takes place in Toruń (beautiful Polish city) and the viewers can, for example, walk the corridors or find themselves in the dressing room of the Wilem Horzyca’s Theatre.
The film „Sezony” is competing for an award in the Perspectives competition at the Gdynia Festival. I will keep my fingers crossed that this film will be appreciated, as it shows that through a humorous perspective, it is possible to leave the audience with many reflections, and after leaving the cinema, many may ask themselves: maybe this telepathy is actually overrated? : )
And look at these posters! Author: Maks Bereski
Production: Haja Films