Afterimage (2016)

The story of charismatic painter Wladyslaw Strzeminski, who opposed social realism and maintained his own artistic freedom in spite of political obstacles.

Director:

Andrzej Wajda

Writers:

Andrzej Wajda (idea), Andrzej Mularczyk (screenplay)

Stars:

Boguslaw Linda, Zofia Wichlacz, Bronislawa Zamachowska

1 win & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Boguslaw Linda	...	Wladyslaw Strzeminski
Zofia Wichlacz	...	Hania
Bronislawa Zamachowska	...	Nika Strzeminska
Andrzej Konopka	...	'Personal' in PWSSP
Krzysztof Pieczynski	...	Julian Przybos
Mariusz Bonaszewski	...	Madejski
Szymon Bobrowski	...	Wlodzimierz Sokorski
Aleksander Fabisiak	...	Rajner
Paulina Galazka	...	Wasinska
Irena Melcer	...	Jadzia
Tomasz Chodorowski	...	Tomek
Filip Gurlacz	...	Konrad
Mateusz Rusin	...	Stefan
Mateusz Rzezniczak	...	Mateusz
Tomasz Wlosok	...	Roman

Storyline

The great Polish director Andrzej Wajda returns with this passionate biopic about avant-garde artist Wladyslaw Strzeminski (brilliantly played by Polish superstar Boguslaw Linda), who battled Stalinist orthodoxy and his own physical impairments to advance his progressive ideas about art.

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Plot Keywords:

painter | communism | 50s | artist | communist poland | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film directed by Andrzej Wajda.

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Quotes

Wladyslaw Strzeminski: They praise the ones who suck up. They're silent about the real artists.
Julian Przybos: I spoke about this with Milosz. He also believes that an artist who can't speak with a full voice should be silent. Artists can be killed in two ways: either by talking about them too much or not at all.

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Connections

References Man of Marble (1977)

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Soundtracks

Landscape
Written by Andrzej Panufnik
Performed by Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia w Katowicach
Conducted by Piotr Komorowski

User Reviews

Found it very intriguing.

Fascinating movie. Stalinist tenets were preventing a renowned avant-garde polish painter who teaches art at a school he help to create form living up to his full capable potential, because of his radical ideals and writings that go against the government. To me what sucks more was that this dude was a war vet who literally gave an arm and a leg for country, which I feel gives him the right to be truthful about what he sees around him.

It was crazy how they used the system to basically suppress him as the qualifications to work in his country were ridiculously and being crippled met that he did not meet enough standards to receive a stamp on his work Visa that said he could work as an artist. The art store would not even sell him paint if he did not have his work ID. So this guy wanted to work and was more than capable of being an artist despite his limitations, but they would not simply because his thoughts went against what was popular at the moment.

I find it interesting that movies about the events around World War II seem to be popping up a lot. My first thought was that people are getting tired of movies about Iraq or Afghanistan like possibly people got tired of the constant references of Vietnam in every 1980s TV show, but I'm starting to think that's not the case. Even though life in the present is no where near as hard as what they went through back then, I'm noticing some trends from yesteryear coming back into fashion and these movies are used to keep in are minds fresh the idea that those who do not know history are doom to repeat it.

I don't know if this story is based on truth, but it's definitely inspired by things that did happen, which makes it a very educational film, but at the same time it was very entertaining, with great acting and very good visuals. The relationship between the painter and his students was very colorful. Afterimage does a great job at hinting at things without hitting you over the head with it, which I liked.

Not what I was expecting when going to the theater, but well worth watching.

http://cinemagardens.com

Details

Official Sites:

Akson Studio [Poland] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

13 January 2017 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Afterimage

Filming Locations:

Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,832, 21 May 2017

Gross USA:

$33,443

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,032,768

Company Credits

Production Co:

Akson Studio, EC1 Lódz - Miasto Kultury, NINA

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1