I saw this last month at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Director/writer Dorota Kedzierzawska wrote this film role specifically for the films lead actress 92 year old Danuta Szaflarska. Szaflarska has had a 60 year career in film beginning with the early days of Polish film of post World War II. Szaflarska's character Aniela, reflects on some of those memories of that war when Germans commandeered her grand old house to use as a military base. Set in Poland this is the story of Aniela who lives alone in a rundown old wooden house that saw many grand parties and lovely times in years past. It, like her is now an aging old relic of things that have outlived their expectancy. A developer wants to buy it and tear it down to build a modern apartment building on it's site. Aniela has a 50 year old son (Krystof Globisz) who occasionally checks in to see how his ornery old mother is doing. He is often accompanied by his overweight 10 year old daughter (Patrycja Szewczyk) who Aniela finds as a spoiled, demanding, undisciplined brat. Aniela blames her husband's wife (Marta Waldera) for her son and granddaughter's laziness. Aniela is often taunted by and bothered by local kids. Her next door neighbors run a music academy for kids out of their home that she spies on daily. This film could almost be a one woman stage play as the other characters are in mostly peripheral roles and the setting is almost entirely within the house. Actually a one woman-one dog stage play because as much as Aniela is the starring role her co-star is her faithful dog who is her confidant and protectorate and has nearly as much screen time as Szaflarksa. Excellent cinematography by Arthur Reinhart and very effective shot entirely in black and white. This film probably wouldn't play well to American audiences under 50 year old who demand that all their films be in color and find anything in black and white to be antiquated and slow and boring. The dog is certainly entertaining and charming and pet lovers will find this film irresistible but it was one of my main problems with the film as I found the dog scenes excessive and frequent extended bouts of barking irritating. The story of the house and Aniela's life and family could have been better developed but I liked the film. Szaflarska was awarded Best Actress of the 32nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia when this film played there last year. It's a drama with plenty of tasteful comedy and I would give it a 8.0 out of 10 and recommend it but it will only find an art-house audience.
