Konopielka

I am giving this film such a high rating because it is very original and unique, and I remember it well years after watching it. It is a co-production of two personalities: Witold Leszczynski and Edward Redlinski who both specialized in rural subjects. For me, watching this movie was like a sentimental journey to my childhood in the Polish village in the 1960s. The film takes the viewer to the landscapes of a secluded village. The name "Konopielka" in some ways hints folk tales about a nymph who shows herself to some simple peasant who dreams of higher things. So the plot has both realistic and symbolic meaning. Kaziuk (Krzysztof Majchrzak) is more realistic, but the Teacher Jola (Joanna Sienkiewicz) has some strong symbolic undertones, meaning the progress. What is also realistic in "Konopielka" is that the years after World War II were a period of rapid modernization of the Polish countryside. The film is visually stunning, and I felt transported to my childhood in the 1960s: snowy forests or sweltering summers. To me, the plot was lively, entertaining, and sometimes very funny. For example, when the supposedly wise old man (played by great Franciszek Pieczka) says to Kaziuk "don't cut the corn with a scythe, use a sicle" it may have some more meaning, like ridiculing the rural tradition or the teachings of the catholic church. I also think that the acting of Krzysztof Majchrzak and Anna Seniuk (playing Handzia, Kaziuk's wife) was simply great. So "Konopielka" is great fun, but it also provides a basis for deeper reflection.