Powidoki (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, Bronislawa Zamachowska, Zofia Wichlacz

1 win & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Boguslaw Linda	...	Wladyslaw Strzeminski
Bronislawa Zamachowska	...	Nika Strzeminska
Zofia Wichlacz	...	Hania
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
Adrian Zaremba	...	Wojtek

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 | student | art | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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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, 19 May 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$30,093, 23 June 2017

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

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 Czlowiek z marmuru (1977)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

The last film from this great director

The Polish film Powidoki was released in the United States with the translated title Afterimage (2016). It was directed by the late Andrzej Wajda. (Wadja lived long enough to see the film completed, but he died before it was released.) I think that it's more than a coincidence that Wajda chose as his final film the story of a great artist who died without ever losing his dedication to art.

The avant-garde Polish artist Wladyslaw Strzeminski was highly regarded in art circles all over the world. However, when Poland was dominated by the Soviet Union, he was forced out of his teaching post. Ultimately, he could not find work, and his lack of funds caused him to die in poverty from tuberculosis in 1952.

This is a hard film to watch. We see Strzeminski forced from his role as professor, forced to separate from his students, and forced out of the artist's guild. He's told that in Communist Poland, only those who work get to eat. The problem is that the government won't let him work, so basically he is sentenced to death, although he was never charged with a crime.

Boguslaw Linda portrays Strzeminski, and his acting is superb. He's an experienced Polish actor, who has worked with Wadja before. A movie like this will stand or fall on the merits of the star. Linda makes us believe in the character. We see him continually making choices. He himself sees no choices--he lives for his art and he dies for it.

We watched this movie in Rochester's wonderful Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum. It will work well on the small screen. Afterimage was shown at the Grand Opening of part two the outstanding 2017 Rochester Polish Film Festival.

Earlier this year, the Dryden screened A Generation. That was Wajda's first film, and this was his last. What an opportunity to follow the development of a talented director from the beginning to the end of his career.