Starring: Magdalena Cielecka, Marta Nieradkiewicz, Sabine Timoteo
Directed by: Sławomir Fabicki
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Whilst Sławomir Fabicki has not been the most prolific maker of dramas in Polish contemporary cinema, he has not missed a trick. After directing Z odzysku (Retrieval, 2006) which was well received in Cannes, Fabicki’s talent was confirmed by Milość (Loving, 2012) that secured him the Special Jury Prize in Gdynia. Good things often come in threes. Eventually Fabicki put together his third feature film Lęk (Anxiety), that explores the relationship between two sisters as they drive to Switzerland.
Małgorzata (Magdalena Cielecka), the elder is a terminated-ill lawyer. Łucja (Marta Nieradkiewicz), the younger, is a mother employed with Małgorzata’s law firm. They could not be more different from each other. In a desperate attempt to convince her sister to give up the idea of assisted suicide, Łucja hopes to persuade Małgorzata to consider an alternative treatment option in Germany.
The women embark on a confrontational journey. The characters convincingly played by Cielecka and Nieradkiewicz display a passive-aggressive stance which progressively dissolves as the sisters spend more time together. Małgorzata’s days are numbered, but smoking cannabis hidden in gas station bathroom, horse-riding and bringing back memories from childhood, help them to rebuild a relationship in the nick of time.
The topic of assisted suicide and euthanasia is a novelty in Polish cinema. Fabicki here tackled it tactfully and in a restrained manner. The stay at the clinic never gets melodramatic and the sisters’ faces are blurred after Małgorzata drinks the lethal dose. It’s a pleasure to see Cielecka and Nieradkiewicz acting together again in this sorrowful road movie after United States of Love (2016).
Film Reviewed by Giuseppe Sedia
Published by Kino Mania on August 22, 2024