Official Poster, source: Jewish Museum Vienna
Offering little information not already in the public record on Polanski's assault and arrest, the feature documentary is an honest conversation about childhood, fears and emotions
With a world premiere as the 'surprise film' at the 2011 Zurich Film Festival, at which the Oscar winning director received the lifetime achievement award, the Cannes Film Festival shows the documentary as part of the Special Screenings section. Shot during Polanski's house arrest in Switzerland by French director Laurent Bouzereau. The film has Polanski's friend and long term associate Andrew Braunsberg conversing with the Polish filmmaker. Critics have commented, as Screendaily puts it, on how openly and emotionally he responds to Braunsberg’s questions.
With a majority of film commentators focusing solely on Polanski's apology directed in the film to his sexual assault victim, the documentary does not aim to provide evidence for or against Polanski in the case of sexual assault. Instead, the discussion spans everything from his childhood in occupied Poland, his escape from the ghetto, the murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate, through to his work and life today in France with his wife Emmanuelle Seigner. "If there are any surprises to be had in Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, they may be for people expecting a monster to see instead a human being, thoughtful, eloquent and emotional as he reflects on what, by any accounts, has been an extraordinary life" comments Hollywood Reporter's Scott Roxborough.
This film is a unique work revealing the man behind critically acclaimed films from Knife In The Water to Carnage, the conversations are illustrated with excerpts from Polanski’s films, news footage, press clippings, private and exclusive photos, and documents chronicling the filmmaker’s extraordinary life. Nevertheless, critics such as Filmmaker's Brandon Harris suggest that, "The film’s cumulative effect is rather enervating given its fascinating subject" and declare that the film feels "longer than it actually is and much less relevant than it would like to be".
The film is screened at the Cannes Film Festival on the 17th of May 2012 at 5:00 pm.
Sources: Cannes Film Festival , Screendaily, Hollywood Reporter, Filmmaker, ABC news, Hanway Films
Author: Marta Jazowska