Sweet Rush

Based on a short story by one of Poland’ most eminent writers Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz, the film shows a multi-dimensional tale of love coming too late and death coming always to early. A middle-aged, highly cultured woman, Marta married to a small town Doctor doesn‚Äôt know that she is terminally ill. She still mourns the death of her two sons who died during the war. One day Marta meets much younger man, a simple worker Bogus and is fascinated by his youth and innocence. Their “dates” at the shores of the river overgrown with rush are marked by a mutual fascination of life coming to a premature end and life just entering its maturity. But the fate plays a cruel trick on them. Andrzej Wajda intertwines this story with real-life monologues of actress Krystyna Janda dealing with the premature death of her husband, an acclaimed cinematographer Edward Klosinski, whom the film is dedicated to. The two women thus become one : a deeply hurt human being who has to stand on her own and deal with the inescapable destiny of death.

Born in Suwalki, Poland, in 1926. He studied at Kraków Academy of Fine Arts, and in the mid-1950’s, after the World War II, led the Polish School movement to create a modern film industry in his country. Features such as A Generation (1954), Canal (1956) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958), about the Home Army resistance; Man of Marble (1976) and Man of Iron (1981), which chronicles the tensions between the working class and the government; and Walesa. Man of Hope. (2013), about the political rise of Solidarity leader, are essential to understand Poland’s history in recent years. Winner of a Palme d’Or, Wajda was also honored by the Academy with a lifetime achievement award. At its 40th edition Mostra organizes a retrospective of his films. He died in October this year.

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA