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Pornografia
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Directed by Jan Jakub Kolski
Based on the novel by Witold Gombrowicz, writer/director Jan Jakub Kolski's Pornography is set in the Polish countryside during WWII. Witold (Adam Ferency), the narrator, is at a gathering of his intellectual artist friends in Warsaw, where he meets Frederick (Krzysztof Majchrzak), a mysterious, but charming, stranger. They hit it off, so Witold invites Frederick along as he goes to visit the home of his friend Hipolit (Krzysztof Globisz) and his wife Maria (Grazyna Blecka-Kolska). Witold and Frederick become obsessed with arranging the coupling of Hipolit's beautiful teenage daughter, Henia (Sandra Samos), and an equally beautiful young man, Karol (Kazimierz Mazur), who is working at the farm. But Henia is engaged to Vaclav (Grzegorz Damiecki), who is visiting with his deeply religious mother, Amelia (Irena Laskowska). As the two middle-aged gentlemen scheme, Germans fight with the Polish resistance, led by Siemian (Jan Frycz), in the woods nearby. Hipolit supports the resistance and his household is thrown into chaos when he is ordered to "liquidate" Siemian to prevent him from talking if he's captured by the Germans. Meanwhile, Frederick's obsession with Veronika, a pretty young maid at the house, masks a dark secret from his past. Pornography was shown at the 2003 Venice Film Festival and selected for the 2003 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
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Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
is neutral about it.
Pornography is a consistently compelling film, but writer/director Jan Jakub Kolski tries to cram so much of Witold Gombrowicz's darkly satirical novel into 117 minutes that the result is somewhat muddled. Well shot and expertly performed, the film manages some sardonic laughs and a few memorable dramatic moments, but there's simply too much going on. Kolski is juggling too many thematic issues, and, as a result, it's a movie which seems to skim the surface of its subject matter. For example, the film touches briefly on Polish intellectual gatherings during the war, Jewish refugees hiding in the countryside, the loss of religious faith, and the relationship between class and sexuality without exploring any of these subjects with any depth. There are too many characters who impact the complex plot but remain vague in terms of personality and motivation. Krzysztof Majchrzak gives an engaging lead performance as the charming, but strangely bitter, Frederick, and that does a lot to help overcome the film's scattershot nature. Pornography is a thought-provoking and well-made film crammed with incident, but it seems like some streamlining would have made the novel's transition from page to screen more rewarding. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
 

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