Before being released into the wild of the Baltic, Hel must learn to live in a herd, find its own food, and above all – avoid contact with humans. Among routine activities such as feeding the seals, viewers also observe a moment of true, touching intimacy, as in the scene where one of the seals responds to a wave in its direction. This "dangerous" friendship could nullify all the scientists' work. The relationship between Mikołaj and Hel creates a narrative framework for Early learning.
Marcin Bortkiewicz was born in 1976 and graduated from the Andrzej Wajda Master School Of Film Directing. Early learning / Nauczanie początkowe is his first documentary film.
Early Learning was awarded Honorable Mention Award by the Jury of The Polish Competition during the recent 49th Krakow Film Festival.
The film was also screened at the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival, which described it as: “Sensitive cinematography and a rich sound track give warmth and humor.”
Kulturaonline.pl praised the 51-minute documentary, remarking
There are no unnecessary words, or cheap gimmicks. At face value, it is a really cold recording of the station, with no room for sentiment. What counts is work, work and again work. This is only on the surface, however, because Early Learning is full of hidden emotions.
Early learning / Nauczanie początkowe, Poland, 2009. Screenplay and direction by: Marcin Bortkiewicz, cinematography by: Wojciech Ostrowski, music by: Marek Czerniewicz.
Author: Roberto Galea, May 2012