Journey to Rome

The day's work never ends for a guard worth his salt, even when the gallery closes at seven. And Vašek is a perfect example, at least until he meets Ginger – a femme fatale who has her own plans where he's concerned. Love turns this nice lad into a thief: armed with a false moustache, sunglasses and a stolen painting, he gets on a train and it remains to be seen whether or not his journey to Rome is paved with good intentions. The train compartment is full of passengers keen to impart their life stories – to him or to anyone who'll listen. The withdrawn young man pays close attention to it all, even though he has plenty to worry about as it is. The police and a bunch of crooks are hot on his heels and it's difficult trying to give them the slip with a hefty painting in tow. Spiritual comedy, railroad movie, a polemic on our journey through life – Tomasz Mielnik's feature debut is all these. This wide-ranging, highly stylised story filled with references to film classics uses hyperbole to ask, "What, in fact, is the meaning of life?" (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)