Edi and Jureczek earn their living by salvaging scrap metal from the streets and trash dumps of a big city. They live together in an old, ruined factory building. Some of the money they make they drink away in a bar frequented by other metal salvagers. One day, one of them is fatally beaten by two brothers who collect "tribute" for the moonshine they distribute among the scrap gatherers. Several days later, the brothers come to Edi with a peculiar proposal. They know the gatherer for his propensity for reading the books he finds in the trash. It is this that leads them to conclude that he will be the best possible tutor for "Princess," their 17 year-old sister, who has been her brothers' ward since their parents passed away.Shortly thereafter Princess turns out to be pregnant and it is Edi who is falsely accused of raping her. The brothers hunt down Edi and their punishment is brutal. Without a hint of resistance, the metal salvager accepts his fate and when the girl gives birth to the child, Edi agrees to raise it as his own...
"(...) I know one of the junkyards in Łódź. Every morning metal salvagers converge on it, arriving there drunk, almost unconscious. We didn't want to confine ourselves to telling just the story of men who scour for scrap metal and then drink. It was then that I remembered a certain Buddhist dialogue, the hero of which, a wise man, is accused by a young girl of being the father of her child. Without uttering a word of opposition, he accepts the responsibility of caring for the child" (Piotr Trzaskalski, director).
Edi is played by Henryk Gołębiewski, a popular, 1970s child actor who played the roles of Poldek in Podróż za jeden uśmiech / Voyage for a Smile and Cegiełek in Stawiam na Tolka Banana / I Bet on Tolek Banana.
Piotr Trzaskalski graduated from the Department of Film and Television Directing at the State Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Łódź in 1992. Since then he has been working as a free-lance director, primarily in television; he has authored and co-authored television programs about art, music videos and documentaries (incl. "Roman Kramsztyk - powrót" / 'Roman Kramsztyk - The Return," "Katalog" / "Catalogue," "Candid Camera - zapis cenzurowany" / "Candid Camera - Censored Recordings," "Inny teatr" / "A Different Theatre," "Malowanki Franka Firanki" / "Franek Firanka's Painted Figures"). Trzaskalski also directed a series of television theatre productions, including "Walizka" / "The Suitcase," (1998), which went on to win an award at the Television Festival in Plovdiv and a prize from the chairman of the Board of Polish State Television, and subsequently qualified for the Festival of Polish Films in Toronto.
- Edi, Poland 2002. Directed by Piotr Trzaskalski screenplay by Piotr Trzaskalski and Wojciech Lepianka; cinematography by Krzysztof Ptak; music by Wojciech Lemański; scenery designed by Wojciech Zogala. Featuring: Henryk Gołębiewski (Edi), Jacek Braciak (Jureczek), Ola Kisio, Dominik Bąk, Jacek Lenartowicz, Grzegorz Stelmaszewski and Maria Maj. Produced by Piotr Dzięcioł; distributed by SPI International Polska. Duration: 100 min. Premiered in cinemas on October 18, 2002.