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The Age of Commercialism

As Good As It Gets

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

I've decided to write this short review when I saw the previous one.What you need to understand before watching this movie is that it's about difficult and dark times in Polish history - before the Soviet Union collapse, when Poland was under it's heel.It's not meant to be funny despite some other reviewers. This is a movie about good people making difficult choices, about people without hope and about people trying to make most of bad situation. It shows how ruthless and corrupt the government was and how one couldn't win with it if he tried.It's not a movie for everyone. Even the younger generations of Polish might have a problem understanding this film as they can't relate to the passed times. But what is shown here was the reality in many countries of former Eastern Block and is true in many others even now.

This is very grim, we see lives of poverty and desperation and brutality.There acting is good, everyone delivers from Srodon as a likable coward to the bullying police officers.The pace is quite slow, there is a lot of build up since both plot threads are worked out in parallel and we have to wait until both are ready before the pace can increase, this made it hard to watch in the beginning but it's worth persisting.Both threads are dark and have a few twists.There is a bit of humour, some drunken humour in the past thread and some more gallows humour in the current time thread.The ending is very dark and surprising, and has a couple of extra twists.

This, like Wojciech Smarzowski's previous outing, is an exploration of the side of Poland that many film makers don't want to show. Neither the plot nor the characters offer any hope that there'll be a happy ending, and it is easy to find yourself feeling suffocated in the cesspool of corruption and self-interest that the film presents. The story follows the investigation into the murder of a family on a farm in 1978. This is used to highlight the ineptitude and indifference of the local police and the thick coat of corruption which stains everybody involved in the story.As with 'Wesele' ['the Wedding'], the director's previous feature, the story is fictional but is very firmly based on fact. It is uncompromising, compelling and very well-made, and is suited for those who want something eye-opening and gritty.

This movie is telling a story that could happen anywhere - if anywhere is Poland or any other communist country. The way how the things happen will remind you that the human kind has its dark side that comes out way too easily! From my point of view it is one of the most interesting new polish movies, the plot is not obvious - or at least how it goes is not, it has integrity and all the right elements any movie should have. My only complaint would be that there are to many side stories included to the main story. Not all are relevant, and some quite hard to digest and understand.If you like strong and heavy stuff - that makes you think about the condition of the human kind, you will find some in this movie.I can recommend this title if you would like to see (or just remind yourself) how the things were done in communist Poland.