Directed by: Emilia Śniegowska
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Rural communities across the world are slowly shrinking. Many villages remain inhabited, but their future is uncertain. Few subjects are therefore more compelling for documentary filmmakers than places and ways of life that may soon disappear. For her feature-length debut, Kumotry (Double Trouble), Emilia Śniegowska turns her attention to Bukovina, a culturally diverse region situated between Central and Eastern Europe. Home to numerous ethnic and linguistic minorities, it is a place shaped by overlapping identities and histories.
Among these communities is the Polish minority, portrayed through the friendship of two elderly women who continue to live in the village of Pleșa. Hanka and Bronka are both widows, but they are also confronting the gradual disappearance of the world they once knew. Their days revolve around familiar routines, yet they occasionally entertain small acts of rebellion. They talk about dancing, drinking alcohol, and defying the expectations that come with old age. Whether they will find the spirit and courage to do so remains an open question.
The women’s children and other relatives have long since moved away and never appear in the film. Instead, the dead seem more present than the living. A small cemetery, only a short walk from their homes, stands as a reminder of those who came before them. The outbreak of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine adds another layer of uncertainty. Concerned for their safety, relatives encourage Hanka and Bronka to leave Pleșa and join them abroad.Aircraft passing overhead and relentless news coverage from across the border heighten anxieties shared by many elderly people, however distant they may be from the war itself.
Despite these fears, the women continue their daily work. They tend the soil, care for animals, fully aware that their homes might soon become firewood. Śniegowska does not attempt to conceal the repetitive nature of rural life. Instead, she brings moments of lightness through the appearance of a quartet of shepherd-musicians who drift through the film. Their presence adds an almost folkloric quality and gently blurs the boundary between documentary observation and storytelling.
What makes Double Trouble particularly affecting is its restraint. Rather than striving to provoke tears, the film invites viewers into the protagonists’ world with warmth and patience. It offers a quiet reflection on friendship, aging, and belonging. Without making grand statements, Śniegowska shows how companionship can ease loneliness and provide comfort in later life. Sharp and deeply humane, Double Trouble is an impressive debut. Its recognition with the Women’s Film Association Award at the Koszalin Film Debut Festival is well deserved.
Film Reviewed by Giuseppe Sedia
Published by Kino Mania on August 28, 2026