Appearing in almost every frame Dorota Pomykała’s portrayal of Mira is richly deserving of the awards received at Gdynia and Tribeca festivals. 60 year old Mira inhabits a world in which she has become all but invisible, but despite years of attrition her sense of defiance keeps pushing through. Inspired by a news story, this is a stark, unforgiving, whilst completely absorbing, portrayal of a society that side-lines its elder women and the men that amplify this on an individual level. Agnieszka Hollands’ SPOOR (where the voice of the retiree is categorised at best as eccentric or even dangerous) tells a similar tale.
Writer director Anna Jadowska (WILD ROSES) uses harsh lighting and a cold, minimalist palette to amplify Mira’s sense of despair, but retains hope of the possibility of change. She is a midwife, after all.
