Tatarak (2009)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Andrzej Wajda

Writers:

Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz (short story "Tatarak") and
Krystyna Janda (monologue "Zapiski ostatnie")

Release Date:

24 April 2009 (Poland)

Plot:

As an aging woman married to a workaholic doctor by chance meets a young man who makes her feel young again. All of this is films by a director making a film about her which cuts in and out of the on camera and off camera drama. |

Plot Keywords:

Young Man | River | Post War Poland | Mature Woman | Small Town

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Krystyna Janda	...	Marta / Krystyna Janda
Pawel Szajda	...	Bogus
Jan Englert	...	Doctor
Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieslak	...	Marta's Friend
Julia Pietrucha	...	Halinka
Roma Gasiorowska	...	Janitor
Krzysztof Skonieczny	...	Stasiek
Pawel Tomaszewski	...	Bridge Player #1
Mateusz Kosciukiewicz	...	Bridge Player #2
Marcin Luczak	...	Bridge Player #3
Marcin Korcz
Maciej Kowalik
Jerzy Mizak
Marcin Starzecki
Andrzej Wajda	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Sweet Rush (Europe: English title) (festival title)

Runtime:

Germany:85 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Filming Locations:

Grudziadz, Poland

Company:

Akson Studio

Trivia:

The movie is an encounter of two great Polish actresses, both of whom are winners of the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. They are Krystyna Janda and Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieslak.

Movie Connections:

Version of Tatarak (1965) (TV)

A Disappointing Tale of Death

Marta is the middle aged wife of a doctor in a small town. She has lost both her sons in the war and leads a monotonous life. Unknown to her she is also dying of lung cancer. One day she meets a lad who could be her son's age and feels physically attracted to him. But their riverside rendezvous ends in terrible tragedy.

Now the director Andrzej Wajda complicates this simple story by weaving in another dimension. The actress playing Marta was reluctant to work in the film because of her husband's chemotherapy. While the film's tragic sequence is being shot underwater, she receives the death of her husband. It is an interesting idea but fails to deliver the dramatic impact since most of the second story is related in a long monologue by the actress. Wajda actually ends up ruining the first story too by one disastrous act of cutting between film and reality.

A huge disappointment from the Polish master.