Loud Apokawixa hits theaters with rather mixed reactions from the audience. The editors Joanna and Marcin talk about the latest production by Xavery Żuławski and the state of horror cinema in Poland.
Joanna: So much crap in the Baltic Sea that you don’t know where to start …
Marcin : Best from the beginning, because this is the first zombie film in the history of Polish horror, which is a kind of social manifesto calling for conscious, pro-ecological actions to protect Mother Earth. It is a story in a crooked mirror, somewhat prophetic, showing what can happen if we do not wake up on time and start taking care of nature properly. Thus, this is an unprecedented event, but the horror itself evokes rather ambivalent feelings.
Joanna: All I have are negative thoughts … Ok, it’s not that bad, although I actually left the cinema hall feeling confused. I must admit that I waited for this film – initially with anxiety, then, after quite enthusiastic signals from the Gdynia Film Festival, even with a little excitement. The reasons you cite above aroused my curiosity. Polish filmmakers so seldom reach for pure genre cinema, especially horror films, especially those that are socially engaged in some way. The annual box office results also show that Poles want to watch Polish films and willingly go to the cinema – all the more I saw in Apokawixa certain chance to disenchant the patch of zombie movies (or horror movies as such), which are still associated with inferior entertainment. I know that you have a slightly better opinion about Żuławski’s film than I do, so maybe – so as not to start with despondency – let’s start with what has been done here.
Marcin: Right. I left the cinema satisfied with what I saw on the screen. After the trailer, I did not expect an ambitious horror movie, which our cinematography simply does not exist at the moment and will not be there for a long time. I was counting on a juicy dose of fun and Żuławski definitely succeeded. In addition, a skilfully selected cast, headed by Mikołaj Kubacki, an aging but still lively Pazura and an eccentric Fabijański, can handle this apocalyptic event. I think they also had a lot of fun on the set of Apokawixa. It can also be said that the director is in the right place and time – the coronavirus pandemic, the warming climate, the vision of a global ecological cataclysm, the tense political situation of the country arousing a rebellious attitude in Polish youth – ideal conditions for creating an apocalyptic vision of reality.
Joanna: Yeah, the actors (and probably the whole crew) were clearly having a great time on the set. The young cast has great potential, and even the more weary faces, such as the mentioned Cezary Pazura or Tomasz Kot, had a chance to depart from their standard repertoire. You can also joke at this point whether Matylda Damięcka accidentally envied her brother’s performance in Furioza (the character of the ultras dealing with a dealer on the side is my personal highlight )of this film), but in general their fun was to me to a moderate extent. One – that the supporting characters are to a large extent a completely pretext being, two – the group of the main characters turns out to be completely lackluster, reduced to one, two personality traits and one stereotypical archetype. So we have, among others a Catholic virtue displacing its already awakened sexuality, withdrawn emo, not too bright muscle, a norm with a past, a spoiled idol – and that’s it. Żuławski and Krzysztof Bernaś, who co-wrote the script, did not attempt to break the patterns or deepen the psyche of young people, although they talk a lot about psychotherapy – mainly because of dry jokes. Of course, it would make perfect sense if the genre were the main focus here, while the convention itself is like a remedy here.
Marcin: Good point. The creations of the heroes are not extensive. You can get the impression that they have been neglected, without caring about the psychological side of the characters, although the creators go into banalities from the beginning, without hiding it. Some scenes seem to be directly related to other productions, such as Need for Speedand in the dialogues we can find well-known aphorisms from the classics (also Polish). The problem is also that we, Poles, like to be afraid, go to the cinema to see the premieres of horror films, while our native horror cinema is completely dead. Maybe it is a bit of a stereotypical term, but we cannot create good genre cinema (except for dramas, including war movies, although it can also be different here). So we are saturated with foreign productions – from the first visualizations of Frankenstein or Dracula , which do not fit into our specific Polish realities – to the then, often hacked, ghost storypacked to the brim with jumpscares. This means that we lack a breath of fresh air, ambitious horror cinema, which will be appreciated outside our backyard and which we will not have to be ashamed of on the stage, even on the European stage. I think that Żuławski and the company did not want to take unnecessary risk and bet on one card. So they chose mass – “the first Polish zombie horror”, which is closer to Project X than Christopher Ladon’s Zombie Hunters (I was expecting a horror in this climate in part). Viewers who waited and quietly hoped for a breath of fresh air were sure to feel disappointed. This is the part of the audience that yawned with boredom during the screening or left the theater halfway through the movie. I am not surprised in part.Today nobody will fall asleep in the forest by Bartosz Kowalski has shown that Polish horror cinema is definitely recreational, clichéd and kitschy. It will be difficult for us to break this pattern and go beyond it. I think the opportunity, as you recall, was to present a deeper vision of humanity, using the psychology of depth, as much as possible was. Nevertheless, this risk was not taken.
Joanna: I wonder if this is really about risk aversion, or maybe just a complete misunderstanding of the psyche of a generation just entering adulthood. In contrast, I think of the not so long premiere – Bodies Bodies BodiesHalina Reijn. It seems that the intention of the authors was similar – to diagnose the so-called “Generation Z”. Let us note that the authors are of a similar age (Żuławski is 50, Reijn – 46), so it would always be a mediated diagnosis burdened with a critical filter of a representative of the de facto parents’ generation. And while Reijn jokes about the image of the “zet” kindly and with gusto, Żuławski seems to internalize these stereotypes and treat them completely seriously, with the subtlety of a hammerhead. Their defining sensitivity to social injustice and awareness of the following crises – in English hidden under the capacious term “wokeness” – are here the reason to spin the Sarmatian mustache and chuckle over predictable gags. The whole thing gives the impression of communing with the creation, forgive colloquialism, pardon.Apokawixa lasts two hours. Bodies… achieves much, much more – emotionally, psychologically, and in terms of “what’s happening” (and the fun of it!) – in half an hour less. Did you take too long? I’m terrible.
Marcin: I have slightly different feelings, I enjoyed watching the movie quite nicely, and those two hours passed quickly. In the Bodies Bodies Bodies you recalledthe exposure is just as lengthy. Besides, I am rather one of those people who do not get their hopes up after the trailer I watched before, and I take the Polish terror with a pinch of salt. I think that the cool realism allowed me to just have fun during the screening and not expect Żuławski’s film to turn out to be the revelation of the year. I am afraid that we will have to wait a long time for the Polish horror film, which will knock you into your seat and satisfy the audience on both sides of the barricade – the glass will always be only half full. Yes, you can blame Żuławski himself that he does not pay attention to the psychology of depth, he goes beyond the cliché, but on the other hand, maybe this is his way of defining his own work, independent of the achievements of his father, whose films were appreciated, among others, by at the Cannes festival. This way, he will prevent him from getting a patch and let him “not go” on the name alone. The biggest drawbackApokawixa is certainly ignoring the status quo of the subspecies. Watching the film, one can get the impression that there are definitely not enough zombies in the Polish horror film about zombies. Perhaps Żuławski did not do his homework and became acquainted with the classics of the genre, or perhaps he never intended to do it ever again. However, if not for the plot of the pollution of the Baltic Sea through which cyanosis spreads (perhaps we can reveal the secret here?), Which is the direct cause of the epidemic of “zombism”, the film could as well remain an ordinary, slightly Americanized comedy that would go completely unnoticed.
Joanna: This is what I mentioned – the never-ending exhibition. Bodies … maybe it had a lot of it (and it had to, since the plot structure was de facto closer to the classic whodunitthan a standard slasher), but notice that there it was passed on in action. Film is a visual medium – show it, don’t talk. It is also difficult for me to understand what causes such a distribution of forces in Żuławski’s film, devoting disproportionately little attention to both the eco-message and the main attraction of the screening. Budget, technical limitations – make-up look good here? Or maybe she subconsciously feels that the Polish film industry is not ready for a full-fledged horror cinema performed at home? The popularity of festivals celebrating B-class cinema (and other letters of the alphabet), genre cinema – after all, we have the Octopus, Splat! Festivals, regular reviews of “the best of the worst”, VHS Hell, etc. – seem to contradict it.
Marcin: In my opinion, Apokawix was foundedIt was not supposed to be an ambitious horror cinema setting new, genre paths in Polish cinematography, and even less a horror film for connoisseurs of the genre. It was supposed to be a mass message that will turn out to be a Polish blockbuster, which, judging by the reactions of the public, definitely failed. The title itself, which is a neologism created from a combination of de facto profanity and Judaic terminology referring to the fulfilling prophecy about the extermination of humanity, suggests that it will be nothing more than a party with a zombie motif in the background. I mentioned risk earlier and I believe that this may partially explain why Żuławski went in this direction. The director has enormous potential, and he sucked his talent for filmmaking with his mother’s milk, so we can wonder even more why Apokawixais a cinema intended for the masses, which does not seem to meet the expectations of the majority of audiences. This shows that viewers are hungry for real horror with the Polish edition, and not for American horror films. On the other hand, is this readiness definitely present in our community? At the film festivals you mentioned, you won’t find any native pictures in vain. In the previous decade, there were individual productions in the form of Marcin Wrona’s Demon , the medium-length Szamota’s Lover , and Borys Lankosz’s Dark, Almost Night , which tried to define the Polish horror. I have the impression that our creators cannot afford to make really good horror movies.
Joanna: Maybe this is where the real source of the problem lies – on the one hand, a nod to the widest possible audience (although when addressing something “to everyone”, we don’t actually address anyone…), on the other – money? As you know, it is difficult to make a film in Poland without a subsidy from the Polish Film Institute, i.e. state funds … Well, unless your name is Patryk Vega or you advertise the famous sausages. Is this the point of the problem? Do we stick to a safe framework so as not to lose these funds and not discourage the “accidental” popcorn eater? Since its premiere on October 7, Apokawiksa has been seen by just over 20 thousand. viewers … So this strategy didn’t seem to work well here.
Marcin: Fact. The creators themselves expected a much better opening and greater interest in the production. The film will probably be taken off the cinema screens soon enough. The potential was, and it ended as usual, but despite everything, in my opinion it is not the worst movie. I support the thesis that Apokawixa was supposed to be one big event where viewers should have fun and not look for deeper messages.
Joanna: And it could have been so much, much more …
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