Heritage

Since he was a kid, Zbyszek’s father, a self-taught philosopher, has been encouraging him to escape from the crippling conditions in the village and strive to attain some kind of harmony. Zbyszek, however, fails: he’s expelled from law school in the city, and there is no money to be had; his mother has trouble enough paying his father’s debts after the old man drowns his ideals in alcohol.... From a wider perspective, the film presents a picture of the poor eastern Polish countryside where high unemployment and rampant alcoholism reign, and bigoted Catholicism influences people’s lives. The ambiguous and yet fascinating Zbyszek, who longs to make something of himself but is unable to act, proves to be one of the most interesting characters to come out of recent Polish cinema. The measured black-and-white visuals created by experienced cameraman Jacek Petrycki are in perfect concord with the story and strengthen its philosophical tone. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)