Starring: Łukasz Simlat, Robert Więckiewicz, Gabriela Muskała
Directed by: Greg Zgliński
Rating: ★★★★☆
Greg Zgliński’s approach to cinema has earned him comparisons with illustrious cinéastes in a relatively short period of time. The francophone press in Switzerland have evoked post-Nouvelle Vogue film directors such as André Téchiné and Claude Miller to describe his 2004 film Tout un Hiver sans Feu (One Long Winter without Fire).
Zgliński has also done well in his native country. He returned to Poland from Zurich in order to study in Łódź, where he crossed paths with Krzysztof Kieślowski. Film critic Tadeusz Sobolewski has compared Zgliński to the Polish maestro and Wymyk encompasses a Kieślowski-esque moral redemption in a tale of failed revenge. Despite a couple of scenes set in a provincial church, Zgliński’s cinema is more secular than Kieślowski’s oeuvre.
There is no room for spiritual serendipity or biblical references in his latest film. Wymyk (Courage) attracted many awards in Gdynia, partly thanks to its screenplay, which is based on a story by Cezary Harasimowicz that was painstakingly worked and reworked over the course of five years by Janusz Margański. Courage deals with the cruel story of a domineering brother (Robert Więckiewicz) who refuses to help his kin (Łukasz Simlat) in one of the most cowardly fight scenes in Polish cinema.
As is the case in most European films, the revenge is not fully accomplished and is only really a pretext to allow Zgliński to reveal the helplessness of his protagonists. Więckiewicz, at his best here, exudes the raging impotence of his character without compromise.
Originally published by The Krakow Post on January 08, 2012