23 November, 2009

Polish Film Festival - How Much Does the Trojan Horse Weigh? (Ile wazy kon trojanski?)

I caught the two films at the Polish Film Festival on Friday night but was unable to attend on Saturday and Sunday.



The first was Ile wazy kon trojanski? (How Much Does the Trojan Horse Weigh?). It was romantic comedy led by Zosia, newly turned 40. She is happily married to Kuba, her second husband, and things are going so well for them, that it seems that the only downer comes when they must deal with Darek, father to Zosia's daughter. It is New Year's Eve 1999 and our protagonist is mysteriously transported back to 1987 where she seeks out Kuba, is once again able to spend time with her dearly departed grandmother, and hesitatingly fulfills her destiny with Darek.

When Ile wazy kon trojanski? isn't doing its best to be interminably light-hearted, it is drowning in sentimentality. Sure, there are some fun scenes which poke fun at life under communism, but, for the most part, the film is simply a cutesy feel-good cliché. Upon returning to her own time, Zosia finds that her grandmother has been resurrected from the dead. Puh-lease! Most children's books don't even pull that kind of stunt.

To make matters worse, the film took the Forrest Gump route when it came to serious subject matter. In this case, the issue was spousal abuse. Instead of treating it with the gravity it deserves, the horrible situation is thrown in off-handedly and is reduced to a mere ploy who sole function is to show what a virtuous, wonderful person our hero is.

Despite a few laughs, Ile wazy kon trojanski? is pablum of the same order as My Big, Fat Greek Wedding and Little Miss Sunshine.

No comments:

Post a Comment