Rewers
Encyclopedia
Rewers is a 2009
Polish
drama film
with a fair portion of black humor
, directed by Borys Lankosz
.
One night, appearing out of nowhere, comes the charming, intelligent, and good-looking Bronislaw. Bronislaw is apparently interested in Sabina, and courts her, and Sabina falls hopelessly in love with him. But when Bronislaw reveals that he is a member of the secret police, and wants Sabina to spy on her boss at the state-run publishing house, things go from bad to worse to macabre. Sabina and her mother and her grandmother are fortunately up to the challenge, revealing a darker side to their otherwise affable personalities.
or 2012
.
Pre-premiere screenings of Rewers at the oldest Warsaw cinema Wisła became the site of meetings of the Polish intelligentsia and “high society,” renewing a forgotten Polish tradition of spontaneous post-screening meetings and film discussions. Rewers became a cultural event incomparable to anything which was previously known to the Polish public.
In conjunction with an Oscar promotional campaign, Rewers was shown in New York
at MOMA
and the Directors Guild of America
Theatre.
Rewers was also very well received by American film critics as evidenced by reviews which appeared in "Variety
" and "Hollywood Reporter".
The Polish Film Academy nominated Rewers for the Polish Film Awards
: Eagles in 13 categories, eventually granting awards in eight of those, among them the Best Film Award. Rewers set a new record for the number of awards granted, surpassing the previous record held by Roman Polanski
's film "The Pianist".
Soon thereafter, awards began to appear on the international arena. Rewers received FIPRESCI
Award at the Warsaw Film Festival; the St. George Award at the Moscow International Film Festival
; as well as the Grand Jury Prize for Best New Director at the Seattle International Film Festival
. The decision of the latter award was articulated by the jury as follows: “Borys Lankosz
’s Rewers succeeds its substantial ambition to tell the story of love, family, and loyalty in a brutal post war Warsaw. Uniquely, first time director Lankosz manages to deliver a highly stylized vision without sacrificing character, story, or performance. We are happy and honored to give the Best New Director Award to this touching, thrilling, and deeply human film.”
Golden Lion
Individual awards
It also won the FIPRESCI
award at the Warsaw Film Festival for the best Eastern European debut.
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
Polish
Cinema of Poland
The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as history of cinematography, and it has universal achievements, even though Polish movies tend to be less commercially available than movies from several other European nations....
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
with a fair portion of black humor
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
, directed by Borys Lankosz
Borys Lankosz
Borys Lankosz - Polish film director.He graduated from National Film School in Łódź. His debut film “Evolution” received several awards, i.a. the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival...
.
Plot
The film is set in Warsaw in the 1950s, with a few flash-forwards to present-day Warsaw. The main character is Sabina, a quiet, shy woman who has just turned thirty, and lives together with her mother and her ailing grandmother. Sabina lacks a man in her life, and her mother tries hard to find a husband for her. The grandmother, an eccentric lady with a sharp tongue from whom no secret can be concealed, also gets involved. Successive admirers arrive at their small, but tasteful apartment in a pre-war house, but Sabina is interested in none of them.One night, appearing out of nowhere, comes the charming, intelligent, and good-looking Bronislaw. Bronislaw is apparently interested in Sabina, and courts her, and Sabina falls hopelessly in love with him. But when Bronislaw reveals that he is a member of the secret police, and wants Sabina to spy on her boss at the state-run publishing house, things go from bad to worse to macabre. Sabina and her mother and her grandmother are fortunately up to the challenge, revealing a darker side to their otherwise affable personalities.
Cast
- Agata BuzekAgata BuzekAgata Bronisława Buzek is a Polish actress.Agata, the daughter of Polish politician and current President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek, was born in Pyskowice in Gliwice County, Poland. At a young age she suffered from poliomyelitis and was treated in Germany...
- Sabina - Krystyna Janda - Sabina's mother
- Anna Polony - Sabina's grandmother
- Marcin Dorociński - Bronisław
- Łukasz Konopka - Arkadiusz
- Adam Woronowicz - Mr Józef
- Bronisław Wrocławski - Director Barski
- Błażej Wójcik - Marcel
Reception of Rewers
Soon after its premiere, it became evident that this modest black-and-white film about Stalinist Poland (now a subject of research of film theorists as well as sociologists), was to become a box office hit, which in the Polish domestic market effectively competes with the biggest Hollywood hits such as Twilight SagaThe Twilight Saga (film series)
The Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
or 2012
2012 (film)
2012 is a 2009 American disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson. It was produced by Emmerich's production company, Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...
.
Pre-premiere screenings of Rewers at the oldest Warsaw cinema Wisła became the site of meetings of the Polish intelligentsia and “high society,” renewing a forgotten Polish tradition of spontaneous post-screening meetings and film discussions. Rewers became a cultural event incomparable to anything which was previously known to the Polish public.
In conjunction with an Oscar promotional campaign, Rewers was shown in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at MOMA
Moma
Moma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...
and the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
Theatre.
Rewers was also very well received by American film critics as evidenced by reviews which appeared in "Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
" and "Hollywood Reporter".
The Polish Film Academy nominated Rewers for the Polish Film Awards
Polish Film Awards
Polish Film Awards: Eagles are a series of awards given annually since 1999 by the Polish Film Academy.-Awards:* Best Film – since 1999* Best Actor – since 1999* Best Actress – since 1999* Supporting Actor – since 2000* Supporting Actress – since 2000...
: Eagles in 13 categories, eventually granting awards in eight of those, among them the Best Film Award. Rewers set a new record for the number of awards granted, surpassing the previous record held by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
's film "The Pianist".
Soon thereafter, awards began to appear on the international arena. Rewers received FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Award at the Warsaw Film Festival; the St. George Award at the Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival , is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since 1995....
; as well as the Grand Jury Prize for Best New Director at the Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
. The decision of the latter award was articulated by the jury as follows: “Borys Lankosz
Borys Lankosz
Borys Lankosz - Polish film director.He graduated from National Film School in Łódź. His debut film “Evolution” received several awards, i.a. the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival...
’s Rewers succeeds its substantial ambition to tell the story of love, family, and loyalty in a brutal post war Warsaw. Uniquely, first time director Lankosz manages to deliver a highly stylized vision without sacrificing character, story, or performance. We are happy and honored to give the Best New Director Award to this touching, thrilling, and deeply human film.”
Awards
The film won five awards at the 2009 Polish Film FestivalPolish Film Festival
The Polish Film Festival is an annual film festival first held in Gdańsk, now held in Gdynia, Poland....
Golden Lion
- Best film (Borys Lankosz)
- Producer of the best film (Jerzy Kapuściński)
Individual awards
- Best actress (Agata Buzek)
- Best cinematography (Marcin Koszałka)
- Best music (Włodzimierz Pawlik)
- Best supporting Actor (Marcin Dorociński)
- Best makeup (Mirosława Wojtczak, Ludmiła Krawczyk, Waldemar Pokromski)
It also won the FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
award at the Warsaw Film Festival for the best Eastern European debut.
- 2010 Eagle AwardPolish Film AwardsPolish Film Awards: Eagles are a series of awards given annually since 1999 by the Polish Film Academy.-Awards:* Best Film – since 1999* Best Actor – since 1999* Best Actress – since 1999* Supporting Actor – since 2000* Supporting Actress – since 2000...
, Best Screenplay (Andrzej BartAndrzej BartAndrzej Bart is a Polish novelist, screenwriter and film director.He is called the Polish Thomas Pynchon because he prefers people talk about his books and films but leave him alone.- Rien ne va plus :...
)