Synopsis

Her mother is dead, her father extremely busy as a Warsaw police investigator: these may well be the reasons why Olga has become anorexic. One day, for fear that the girl might attempt suicide, her father takes her to hospital,where they meet therapist Anna who, dressed in orthopaedic shoes and knitted jumpers, looks as if she is in need of therapeutic help herself. Anna spreads both hope and madness: she claims to be able to communicate with the dead. Of course, the police officer, who is distraught by his work, is sceptical about her at first. The misery he has to face on the streets every day has apparently made him indifferent. But eventually, he asks Anna for a séance as well. Body's characters, who are weird in a most likeable way, struggle to get over the loss of a beloved person. To them, physical self-punishment and taking recourse to the world of esoterism seem to be effective means to escape from a dreary reality. Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska successfully handles the serious topics of death, illness and loneliness with a good deal of black humour and slapstick: probably not the least of reasons why her performance as a director was honoured with a Silver Bear at the Berlinale 2015.

Guests

Elwira Pluta

Elwira Pluta  
Production designer Body 
In Vienna: October 6-9