She crossed an ocean for bread—will she find crumbs when she returns?
A young peasant girl, Antonina, emigrates for bread to Canada. She stays with her uncle, who offers her marriage, but Antonina does not accept the offer. She marries a farmer from a nearby village, surreptitiously puts away pennies to pennies and sends to Poland, her son to build a house. When her husband finds out, he catcalls her in a rage and throws her out. She returns to the country, and what does she find?
Acting
Anna Seniuk's restrained desperation carries every frame.
Direction
The Petelskis' unflinching gaze at peasant life's harsh geometry.
Director
Czesław Petelski
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Poland's 1970s 'cinema of moral concern,' reflecting real mass emigration to North America during communist-era economic struggles.
Ewa Petelska was one of few Polish women directing features; her collaboration with husband Czesław often centered female protagonists in patriarchal rural traps.
PL
