33 sceny z zycia (2008)

Director:

Malgorzata Szumowska

Writer:

Malgorzata Szumowska (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 November 2008 (Poland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A successful artist, married to a famous composer, must suddenly deal with a number of crises, from the death of the family dog to the illness of her father and absence of her husband. |

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Female Nudity | Male Female Relationship | Father Daughter Relationship | Death

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Julia Jentsch	...	Julia Szczesna
Peter Gantzler	...	Adrian
Maciej Stuhr	...	Piotr 'Piotrek' Malkiewicz - Julia's husband
Andrzej Hudziak	...	Jerzy 'Jurek' Szczesny - Julia's father
Malgorzata Hajewska	...	Barbara Rostawicka - Julia's mother
Izabela Kuna	...	Kaska - Julia's halfsister (as Iza Kuna)
Rafal Mackowiak	...	Tomek - Kaska's boyfriend
Renata Dancewicz	...	Malgoska - Julia's friend
Roman Gancarczyk	...	Krzysiek Szczesny - Julia's halfbrother
Andrzej Kuchno	...	Julia's friend
Maria Mamona	...	Funeral institut owner
Maria Maj	...	Nurse
Ewa Worytkiewicz	...	Nurse
Boguslawa Schubert	...	Doctor
Wojciech Michniewski	...	Conductor

Also Known As:

33 Scenes from Life (International: English title) (literal title)
33 Szenen aus dem Leben (Germany)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Germany | Poland

Language:

Polish | English | German

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Germany

Company:

Pandora Filmproduktion

Out of sync

Though not a rich country as such, Poland abounds with ideas and inspiration. Think Copernicus, Curie, Chopin. Maybe that's too high a bar for anyone, but writer-director Malgorzata Szumowska and her team don't even qualify. The plot of "33 Scenes" is dramatic enough: Julia loses her mother, her father, and her high-flying career prospects all over the course of what seems like a few weeks. But the more drama she takes on, the less you care. Is it because it's hard to sympathize with a spoiled brat in the first place? Or is it because the movie takes forever to get to the point? My inclination is to blame it on dubbing director Mina Kindl, who was in charge of the German version I have seen. The voice-over is entirely lifeless (and partly out of sync), especially Julia's. It sounds like it was recorded in a basement studio, with the actors reading from the original script, without even looking at the screen. There simply is no connection between image and sound. I sat through it, but it felt like watching a silent film and listening to an unrelated talking book in parallel. I'm wondering what the Polish version is like. As it stands, avoid.