Dzien swira (2002)

24 hours in the bitter life of a frustrated divorced teacher who stays in the vicious circle of his numerous obsessions.

Director:

Marek Koterski

Writer:

Marek Koterski

Stars:

Marek Kondrat, Janina Traczykówna, Andrzej Grabowski

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marek Kondrat	...	Adas
Janina Traczykówna	...	Matka
Andrzej Grabowski	...	Sasiad
Michal Koterski	...	Syn Sylwus
Joanna Sienkiewicz	...	Byla zona
Monika Donner-Trelinska	...	Ela
Aleksander Bednarz	...	Sasiad z dolu
Zbigniew Buczkowski	...	Dozorca koszacy trawnik
Dorota Chotecka	...	Wlascicielka psa w pociagu
Maria Ciunelis	...	Wariatka w pociagu
Krystyna Czubówna	...	Spikerka
Bozena Dykiel	...	Wlascicielka psa
Piotr Fronczewski	...	Lekarz w TV
Anna Gornostaj	...	Klientka w kiosku
Joanna Jedrejek	...	Dziewczyna reklamujaca 'wyciag z fiuta'

Storyline

It is a bitter story about a middle-aged man who hates his life, other people and ultimately himself. Adam Miauczynski, the character known from director Marek Koterski's previous films, is a 49 year-old teacher who reads poetry during school lessons and later goes home swearing and calling his neighbours' names. The worst pain for him is the next 5 minutes of living. He doesn't accept himself and even everyday contacts with others cause his aggression. Though constantly dreaming of a romantic love, he is not bold enough to make his dreams come true.

---

Plot Keywords:

watching tv | teacher | dreaming | school | pain | 

---

Taglines:

To be, kurwa, or not to be ("To be, for fuck sake, or not to be")

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Poland]

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

7 June 2002 (Poland)

Also Known As:

A bolond egy napja

Filming Locations:

Debki, Pomorskie, Poland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio Filmowe Zebra,Vision Film Production,Non Stop Film Service

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Just like in two previous films about Adam Miauczynski, director Marek Koterski considered casting Cezary Pazura in the lead role. However, he changed his mind because of the fact that Pazura was then associated too much with popular sitcoms, and although the film had many comic scenes, it was not a typical comedy anymore.

---

Goofs

When we see the dog shitting under Adam's balcony, it firstly does it on thick, green grass but in the later scene when the dog is with a woman, it stands on bare ground without any grass.

---

Quotes

Adam Miauczynski: My dear friend on this journey. You built this dark mound to lead the life of a termite. Protected from the sunlight. Closed in your sad rigid rituals. Even if they make you mad, these rituals became your shield against the winds, the waves, against stars and feelings. Every day you struggle to forget your human condition. The clay you are molded from has dried out and hardened. No one will ever find in you an astronomer, musician, altruist, poet or human who lived for even one day.

---

Connections

References Psy (1992)

User Reviews

An great movie, must see

Dzien Swira ( Day of the freak) is Koterski's latest addition to an already impressive portfolio. Like his other semi-autobiographical move titled Nic Smiesznego ( nothing funny), Dzien Swira records the inner dialogue & the prose of a single day in the life of Adam Miauczynski, a character based on M. Koterski. Miauczynski, like Koterski, is an compulsive-obsessive, excentric, bitter & disillusioned individual caught in Poland's post communist reality, a reality as Ill suited to him as the communist one was. One of the reasons why Koterski's work is either loved or intensly disliked by Poles, is the painfully acurate description of polish hell, made all the more vivid by his insistance on showing the trivial & at the same time essential moments of daily life in excruciating detail. life is all the more hell when the damned are aware that life could be different, and this is what makes Miauczynski's suffering all the more real. A number of the scenes are classics, unequalled by any of Koterski's contemporaries, especially the scenes depicting Miauczynski's relationship with his son, the senate, train toilet and street demonstration scenes.

It is unfortuante for the western viewer that the context & language of the film make it very difficult to translate adequatly, refering as it does to polish classical literature, contemporary culture and nigh-untranslatable street slang, the contrast being all the more vivid, since Miauczynski is a Polish literature lecturer obsessed with what he percieves to be the decay of the language he loves.

If I were to compare Koterski to any western director, it would be to Britain's Mike Leigh. An insane Mike leigh with an infectious sense of humour & a penchant for social commentary.

All in all, This is Koterski's finest work to date, perhaps the finest Polish film in the last 5 years. My rating is a solid 8/10