Deep Love tells a story of a passion which gives the strength to live. Janusz, a lawyer and diving aficionado, one day suffers a major stroke. However, it will not stop him from diving.
In telling his story, Matuszyński focused on three characters: Janusz – the disabled diver; Joasia – his partner who never stopped supporting Janusz in his struggle for recovery, and their friend who devoted time to supervising Janusz while diving. They will face a series of difficult life choices.
The director spent years with them to truly show their feelings – their tiny gestures tell more than longer dialogues.
At the same time, he asks, should one risk their life for sake of passion? Could craving new challenges be more important than the love of and for loved ones? Does life without passion make sense? Does chasing one’s dreams equal egoism?
Matuszyński does not provide answers, nor does he judge – he tries to understand each of the characters.
Matuszyński’s documentary was one of eight films in the competition. The jury was chaired by British director Sean McAllister.
Hardkor Disko in the Moscow festival competition
Watashi no Otoko/ My Man by Japanese director Kazuyoshi Kumakiri won the main prize of the festival – the Golden St. George statuette.
The motion picture shows the story of a 10-year-old girl who loses her parents during the earthquake and tsunami on the island of Okushiri, near Hokkaido. Tadanobu Asano, who starred in the film, was awarded with the Silver St. George for best actor.
The Silver St. George for best actress went to Ukrainian Natalka Polovinka for her role in Brothers. The Final Confession/Braty. Ostatnia Spowid. The best director prize went to Valeria Gai Germanika for Yes and Yes/Da i Da.
Hardkor Disko by Krzysztof Skonieczny was among the 16 motion pictures which competed for the festival’s main prize.
The jury, which was chaired by Russian director Gleb Panfilov, included German actress Franziska Petri, and French producer Laurent Danielou.
Polish films at the Moscow festival
The Moscow International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious world film festivals in Europe – right next to Cannes, Venice and Berlin. This year, unfortunately, many film-makers turned down the invitation due to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Krzysztof Zanussi was present at the event - the critically acclaimed director presented a retrospective of his films.
The 1st edition of the Moscow International Film Festival took place back in 1959. Several Polish films have won the Golden St. George in the past – Wajda’s The Promised Land from 1975, Kieślowski’s Camera Buff from 1979 as well as Zanussi’s Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease from 2000.
Łoziński’s Father and Son won the documentary film prize in 2013.
Urszula Grabowska in turn got the Best Actress prize for Feliks Falk’s Joanna. In 2010 Jan Kidawa-Błoński received the Best Director Prize for Rosie/Różyczka.
The list doesn’t end there – Reverse by Borys Lankosz won at the auteur cinema perspectives competition.
The audience prize in 2009 went to Waldemar Krzystek’s Little Moscow.
Sources: PAP, ed. BS, 28/06/2014 Translated by Kasia Dolato