A Jewish ghost story wrapped in Polish summer haze — childhood obsession never looked this haunting.
The film is based on the well-known, translated into many languages novel of writer Pawel Huelle. It is imbued with nostalgia and the atmosphere of mystery story of a group of children, fascinated by the figure of a man named David Weiser.
Cinematography
Golden-hour Poland that feels half-remembered, half-dreamed.
Writing
Huelle's novel adapted with maddening, gorgeous ambiguity.
Director
Wojciech Marczewski
Marek Kondrat
Pawel Heller
Krystyna Janda
Elka
Juliane Köhler
Juliana, narzeczona Pawła
Teresa Marczewska
sędzia prowadząca śledztwo w sprawie wybuchu
Zbigniew Zamachowski
Kołota, kierownik szkoły
Krzysztof Globisz
Szymek Pałta
Michael Mendl
wariat
Mariusz Benoit
dzielnicowy
Marian Opania
ksiądz proboszcz
Michał Pawlicki
dziadek Dawida
Piotr Fronczewski
Piotr Korolewski
Magdalena Cielecka
urzędniczka biura meldunkowego
Teresa Budzisz-Krzyżanowska
sąsiadka Szymka
Jarosław Gajewski
lekarz, sąsiad Pawła
Janusz Gajos
antykwariusz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Huelle's novel emerged from Poland's 1990s reckoning with repressed Jewish history; the film arrived when that conversation was still raw.
Marczewski deliberately cast Globisz as Szymek despite his real-life disability from a 1988 stabbing — the film's hidden layer of bodily vulnerability mirrors Weiser's own mysterious wounds.
PL
