TIFF 2010: THE CHRISTENING Review
Janek does not get quite the reception expected when he drops in on his old friend Michal. Fresh out of a stint in the army he drops in on his oldest and dearest friend only to discover that Michal has gotten married without telling any of his old cohorts and, having turned from the rowdier days of his youth, is now trying to settle into the life of a serious businessman. He's a far cry from the man Janek once knew, the Michal that once pulled him unconscious from a river and ran with a gang of petty thugs and criminals. And though life seems good for Michal there is an obvious undercurrent of tension to him, a growing fixation on simply getting through the week and to the christening of his newborn son.
A story of fate and consequence, The Christening is the sophomore feature from highly touted Polish director Marcin Wrona and while the attention to story and character balanced against the ability to create grippingly realistic action sequences when required make Wrona's talent obvious the film is also hampered by some overly-broad writing and an occasionally uneven performance from newcomer Tomasz Schuchardt as Janek.
When the film works it works in territory familiar to fans of Nicolas Winding Refn and this year's Easy Money, crafting a union of believable characters caught in a cycle of inescapable violence. It's a potent formula, one that yields big rewards when handled properly and for the majority of the time Wrona does just that. Michal's love for his family and desire to just leave in peace are obvious, factors that make him an immediately appealing leading man, but a series of bad decisions from his past will simply never let him be and there are debts that must be paid.
Strong as Michal is, though, it is Janek - the younger, more impetuous man still trying to chart a course for his life, the man who still has a choice - who really has to sing for The Christening to work and though he gives a game attempt Schuchardt - who has only one previous credit to this - too often is just not quite up to the gravity of the task. Janek's is a rich and complex part, one that demands a performance of layers upon layers where Schuchardt seems to simply wear everything on the surface. And so we don't feel the clash of his loyalties as strongly as we need to, we never quite share with him as the pressure mounts and he must make a choice between Michal's past and Michal's future.
Poland is a country not only rich with a long and varied cinematic tradition, it is also a country once again on the rise thanks to a wealth of young talent. Wrona is certainly one of its brightest lights but he never manages to raise The Christening above being simply okay. Which would be fine if the potential for greatness wasn't also staring you in the face.
A story of fate and consequence, The Christening is the sophomore feature from highly touted Polish director Marcin Wrona and while the attention to story and character balanced against the ability to create grippingly realistic action sequences when required make Wrona's talent obvious the film is also hampered by some overly-broad writing and an occasionally uneven performance from newcomer Tomasz Schuchardt as Janek.
When the film works it works in territory familiar to fans of Nicolas Winding Refn and this year's Easy Money, crafting a union of believable characters caught in a cycle of inescapable violence. It's a potent formula, one that yields big rewards when handled properly and for the majority of the time Wrona does just that. Michal's love for his family and desire to just leave in peace are obvious, factors that make him an immediately appealing leading man, but a series of bad decisions from his past will simply never let him be and there are debts that must be paid.
Strong as Michal is, though, it is Janek - the younger, more impetuous man still trying to chart a course for his life, the man who still has a choice - who really has to sing for The Christening to work and though he gives a game attempt Schuchardt - who has only one previous credit to this - too often is just not quite up to the gravity of the task. Janek's is a rich and complex part, one that demands a performance of layers upon layers where Schuchardt seems to simply wear everything on the surface. And so we don't feel the clash of his loyalties as strongly as we need to, we never quite share with him as the pressure mounts and he must make a choice between Michal's past and Michal's future.
Poland is a country not only rich with a long and varied cinematic tradition, it is also a country once again on the rise thanks to a wealth of young talent. Wrona is certainly one of its brightest lights but he never manages to raise The Christening above being simply okay. Which would be fine if the potential for greatness wasn't also staring you in the face.
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