Fleeing from despair after losing those dearest to him, the hero hides in a safe land of memories, where time stands still and all those dear to him are alive.
Direction
Wilczyński's 14-year obsessive labor of love, every frame breathes.
Practical Effects
Hand-drawn animation resisting digital polish, gloriously imperfect and alive.
Sound
Polish jazz legends score a funeral for the living.
Director
Mariusz Wilczyński
Krystyna Janda
Janek's Mother (voice)
Andrzej Chyra
Janek's Father (voice)
Maja Ostaszewska
Janek (voice)
Małgorzata Kożuchowska
Fishmonger's Shop Assistant (voice)
Barbara Krafftówna
Mariuszek's Old Mother (voice)
Anna Dymna
Mariuszek's Young Mother (voice)
Marek Kondrat
Mariuszek's Father (voice)
Gustaw Holoubek
Mariuszek's Alter Ego (voice)
Irena Kwiatkowska
Old Woman on the Train (voice)
Andrzej Wajda
Old Man on the Train (voice)
Daniel Olbrychski
Old Man on the Train – Behemot (voice)
Tadeusz Nalepa
Daddy (voice)
Mariusz Wilczyński
Mariuszek (voice)
Anja Rubik
Newspaper Kiosk Lady (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Wilczyński animated much of this alone over 14 years while working commercial jobs, financing it through Polish cultural grants and sheer stubbornness.
The Łódź setting isn't random—it's Poland's former textile capital, now decayed, making the film a requiem for both personal and national lost futures.
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