Eastern

(2019) Eastern/ Ruthless (In Polish with English subtitles) THRILLER

This is another one of those movies where it made more sense to the makers who made it than the viewers who spent watching it. It is either that, or the English translators did not do a very good in translating it into English. Anyways, part of the synopsis above claims it is a "dystopian" movie, but yet there is zero indication of that at all. Co-written and directed by Piotr Adamski that has a woman hunter hunting another hunter and making it look like a suicide. We find out that it consists and is similar to the "Hatfields and the McCoys" scenario with two warring families who are at odds with one another between the "Nowak" family and the "Kowalska" family. And then later on in the movie, as soon as one Ewa Nowak (Maja Pankiewicz) drops her guard down she is then abducted at gun point, by Klara Kowalska (Paulina Krzyzanska) for the intention of using her as blackmail in exchange for money.

Besides not caring for the way the movie had ended, I was unable to find any plot either except to see many people babbling over nothing. Viewers neither understand nor are enlightened how this feud came about in the first place except that it is, and that the father (Marcin Czarnik) was paralyzed on one of their meetings.

This is a weird and unnecessarily confusing film, but an interesting and well produced one. The name is obviously a reference to Western genre, with its recurrent vendettas. However, the story is held in Eastern Europe, precisely in an upper middle class neighborhood Poland. The story takes place in an alternative present or in a near future, when weapons are as easy to buy as, let me say, the United States, and when family feuds are legalized and contractually established, and only blood money may interrupt the revenge killing circle. As Poland is actually in a very conservative and militaristic wave, the movie is particularly interesting due that political background. However, the odd naturalizing behavior of all characters (not a problem of acting, as they did a good job) makes all those situations not credible and, then, not very moving (the opposite, for instance, of Brazilian film on blood feud "Behind the Sun / Abril Despedaçado", which I strongly recommend). The end of "Eastern" is perfect, anyway.

What an interesting gem, this Polish movie which the topic is rather unexpected and exciting. Nothing Hollywoodian in this story, beautifully photographed and also set. If it took place in Corsica, it would be less surprising, because vendetta belongs to the Corsican, and I also guess Sicilian, DNA. Listen carefully to the score, it looks like a spaghetti western music. It is actually very difficult to put this unidentified film in a precise category.

No pun intended - as others have already stated - we have a sort of Western here - but playing in the east. Not as in Asia though which is a different kind of Eastern - at least in Germany, I would think around the world, but just in case.

The movie is about revenge and about male pride ... about how to survive and about doing everything for family. And also even if this does not play in the Ghetto, it is about things coming back to bite you in the ... well you'll see and understand ... maybe. Because the ending is a bit confusing - I did not get the bit after/during the credits for example, which I almost missed because Prime skipped that to go to the next movie ... anyway ... really well played and tight story.