User reviews

Greetings again from the darkness. For lonely folks, the dream of companionship is ever-present. Wondering if the right person will ever come along is a weighty burden to carry, and it's one that Julka has toted her entire life. Writer-director Tadeusz Lysiak and lead actor Anna Dieduszycka only need 29 minutes in this short film to convey the hope and pain that accompanies loneliness.

Ms. Dieduszycka gives a strong performance, and her dwarfism comes into play as Julka, a cleaning lady at a truck stop motel. Julka rarely smiles and only speaks when her co-worker and lone friend Renata (Dorota Pomykala) talks to her. Otherwise Julka is all about smoking and slot machines ... at least while she's not fantasizing about being "normal" and having true romance that leads to the loss of her virginity.

A truck driver named Bogdan (Szymon Piotr Warszawski) shows some legitimate interest in getting to know her better, and Julka's excitement mirrors that of a schoolgirl. Filmmaker Lysiak places Julka in a situation that seems to be her ideal romantic encounter - a sure sign that life rarely allows these moments to play out as we hope, which ironically, provides her with a taste of the downside of normalcy. The film is from Poland, and it earned the honor of being Oscar nominated.

I'm so disappointed because up until the last five minutes i was going to give this movie like 9 maybe even 10. I was engaging, I loved that the film maker took a subject that isn't spoke about and shown it in a way that humanises people with dwarfism. I know what a crazy thought. But normally characters like this are relegated to jokes and parodies so it was lovely to see that this film was so human.

The romance and hope I was all in! I was just so happy and like invested but then the movie decided to completely implode on its self and destroy everything it spent the past 20 minutes building.

It was crushing. Which might have been the directors idea which is why I still liked this short. It was just so painful and chastising. It would have been lovely to end on hope.

"The Dress" may be only 30 minutes, yet it pack more heart and punch in that time than most full length films. Julia, a virgin dwarf who works in a Polish road side truck stops, is lonely until a 'normal' trucker, Bogdan, strikes up a conversation with her that seems to be more than the usual put downs she has to deal with. The rest must be seen to appreciate the films depth. It's just great.

A maid in a rundown motel, her friend, a truck driver and a drop of Bovarysm. The great virtue of film - the acting , especially admirable young Anna Dzieduszycka. At the first sigh, a film about first, terrible sexual experience, bitterness of marriage, friendship, dream/ desire becoming true in awful manner. The splendid detail - the untold stories, only suggested but in sketches with precise traits. Short, authentic gem.

An acceptable idea and storytelling.

I was with the main character of the story until the final moments. I was saddened by the tensions in the lives of these types of people, and an unfortunate truth was revealed to me.

Wow, I thought "The Whale" was depressing. This is even more so. A movie about a little person who longs to be a normal size woman. She has a depressing job in a depressing town with one friend to her name. Her boss is a jerk like many. She wants a man. Her life is a shampoo, rinse, repeat affair where every day is groundhog day. The director uses grey screen and music to further the sad, dismal, dark story. Would like to recommend this but it is a sad movie about a sad situation in a sad setting with sad music and a sad sad sad. Do not recommend. Do not think anyone should see this. Sad and sad.

A strong performance by an extraordinary actress about the ordinary life of one little person. So well played by Anna Dieduszycka. The story is a real one for so many, tall or short. 10 stars to the writer, Tadeusz Lysiak and 10 stars to all actors in this film.

The Dress is a short film in which Julka, a hotel maid with dwarfism, longs for romance, or at least a sexual experience. Julka has dealt with cruelty from strangers, and can be a little defensive about her size, but is capable of friendliness and soon attracts the interest of a truck-driving hotel guest. Things don't go as well as we hoped (actually, pretty awfully), and it would be interesting to know how this affects Julka, but unfortunately the filmmakers already used up the entire running time of the film with things that aren't very interesting.

This 30-min movie is about a small person, Julia, who is in her thirties and still a virgin. She's looking forward to correcting the situation, and encounters a truck driver who seems to reciprocate her interest. Sadly, that only last for one tryst. And that's all she wrote.

I imagine it's not easy for a small person to find a life partner; in fact, that's not easy for anyone.

The movie hints at how difficult is for any woman to find love, as Julia's coworker, a well-formed woman, abhors her husband, and a hotel guest at Julia's work place, a gorgeous young woman, is seen crying in a state of undress, probably after sex.

The acting is fine, but I found the 30 minutes movie dragging on for too long. So my take on this is that a small person has the same hopes, and disappointments as all of us. Life is hard, and then we die.

Acting, storytelling, plot and character development are top notch. If you're looking for a quick watch check out this thirty minute gem. It's an original and well structured story that will make you happy and sad in a short amount of time.