She wanted to sing. He wanted to cage her. Polish cinema's most toxic love story.
Emilka meets the slightly-older Maciek out at a club one night. He shows Emilka—who was brought up by a single mom—a whole new world filled with desire, passion, restlessness and rebellion. The girl moves in with him and at first everything seems just perfect, but gradually Emilka discovers her separate identity, and starts to grow apart from him. When her dream of becoming a singer comes true, Maciek feels threatened. A toxic love game begins, full of lust and jealousy.
Acting
Hamkało's transformation from wide-eyed girl to dangerous woman.
Direction
Białowąs crafts intimacy that feels genuinely suffocating.
Director
Barbara Białowąs
Aleksandra Hamkało
Emilia Baumgardt
Antoni Pawlicki
Maciek Dolny
Robert Gonera
Adam Jasny
Dobromir Dymecki
Piotr Gawenda "Kudłacz"
Magdalena Pociecha
Magda Nowak
Małgorzata Pieczyńska
Maria Baumgardt
Adam Ferency
prosecutor
Borys Szyc
prisoner
Magdalena Lamparska
Emilia's classmate
Mirosława Olbińska
Maciaszkowa
Piotr Grabowski
policeman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a wave of early 2010s Polish cinema exploring female sexuality without moral judgment, controversial in its domestic release.
The director originally wanted a real singer for Emilka; Hamkało trained for eight months, making the performance scenes actually her voice.
PL
