Starring: Marta Nieradkiewicz, Daniel Olbrychski, Elżbieta Gruca, Anna Ilczuk
Directed by: Anna Jadowska
Rating: ★★★☆☆
The adult film industry in Poland is relatively insignificant compared to some of its near neighbours. The Slovakian company Bel Ami has made it big in gay porn, while Budapest has become the logistical hub for many of the wettest and wildest dreams brought to the screen. It is astonishing, therefore, that Anna Jadowska has braved the Polish taboo of pornography in her feature Z miłości (Out of Love).
A refined Daniel Olbrychski plays an unusual role as a small-scale porn producer who does his best to make ends meet by filming gangbangs and gonzo movies set in derelict buildings. But the film’s central figures are three women who allegorically represent the three ages of the porn actress.
The debutant, Ewelyna (Marta Nieradkiewicz), is cajoled by her husband into making some easy money by having sex with him in front of a camera. Joanna (Anna Ilczuk) is a middle-aged, hardcore drinker dejected by the routine of daily copulation. The senior actress, Ela (Elżbieta Gruca), runs herself ragged trying to cling on to an industry where her wrinkles are unwanted.
In terms of visual style, Jadowska’s feature is an example of virtuous prudery, with all the explicit close-ups blurred. Out of Courage will never be a must-see erotic movie, not least because of its prissy aftertaste, but it never smells of bigotry. The last sequence is a conventional ode to the ennui of the Polish provinces.
Originally published by The Krakow Post on January 08, 2012