Gajewski follows Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt, accusing the social system and its rules. And yet the differences between Strange Heaven and the Danish film are considerable. Vinterberg put real people on the dock – neighbours and old friends who fuelled the spiral of hate towards the main protagonist. We could either understand or condemn them, but we had the chance to get to know them. Gajewski accuses the system and the character played by Ewa Fröling is a woman without qualities. We don’t learn anything about her life, what we know is only that she is the face of an evil world where rules are more important than empathy. Strange Heaven in this sense is a populist film – it has been built on such extreme oppositions and emotions that it doesn’t leave us any choice but to stand by the poor, oppressed immigrants fighting the bureaucratic machine.
If Gajewski for one moment abandons the black-and-white vision of the world, it’s only when he paints the portrait of the mother. Basia, played by Agnieszka Grochowska, is a hothead with a heart of gold. She doesn’t control her emotions, but follows them blindly. Watching Strange Heaven, the viewer at the same time roots for her and gets irritated by her lack of reason. The award for best leading role that Grochowska received at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, was not accidental. Her Basia is strong and warm, fragile but confident, hysterical but dedicated. Grochowska paints all of these portraits and skilfully creates a cohesive whole.
Strange Heaven is a film based on a few successful roles. Bartłomiej Topa proves that he has a lot of sincerity and a charisma that gains him sympathy, but the biggest discovery of the film is the young Basia Kubiak. Before shooting the film, the young actress studied Swedish for a year, and, watching her in Strange Heaven, it’s hard to imagine that she’s not the daughter of Polish emigrants. Kubiak brings an emotional intensity to the screen and there is not one false note in her role.
Strange Heaven is an unaccomplished film. Connecting a fable with social drama, the director goes too far in simplifying conflicts and building spectacular oppositions. The hell of immigrant life seems too cold, and the Slavic fervour too obvious for us to believe in the world that we’re seeing. Gajewski’s film is as intense as it is obvious. It is moving enough, but cannot break through the melodramatic pattern. Instead of a story about problems with communication in the globalized world and the inevitable culture clash, we receive a plaintive yet skillfully recounted tale about brave Poles who resist the Swedish regime.
- Strange Heaven, directed by Dariusz Gajewski, written by: Dariusz Gajewski, Michał Godzic. Photography: Monika Lenczewska. Music: Marcin Masecki, Candelaria Saenz Valiente. Starring: Agnieszka Grochowska, Bartłomiej Topa, Basia Kubiak, Jan Englert, Ewa Fröling, Gerhard Hoberstorfer, Tanja Lorentzon.