Aftermath

Aftermath

Michal Oleszczyk, a film critic, said that “Aftermath” is the Polish answer to “Bad Day at Black Rock.” The two movies are moral tales of anger in which one man battles an entire community. It’s not a bad comparison. In each case, two outsiders from a peaceful town defend oppressed minorities against silence after finding out they were never threatened personally themselves.

But while “Bad Day at Black Rock” lets fly its self-righteousness with sweeping Cinemascope wide angle shots and moving monologues, “Aftermath” can only manage serviceable hand-held photography and timid bathetic dialogue. This is toothless stuff it should hit us harder as civics lessons designed not just to make us think about such issues but also actually do something about them.

Franciszek (Ireneusz Czop) had been living away from Poland for many years when he returned home because his brother Jozef Kalina (Maciej Stuhr) has become a social outcast following an incident or series of events we’re never told about directly until close to the end. At first Jozef won’t tell Franciszek anything at all he blames him for leaving their mother alone on their farm after father died but eventually Frank finds out what happened: Joe dug up Jewish headstones that were being used by the town to pave streets with again and tries make peace while also looking into some new grave-markers himself.

Franciszek doesn’t understand why people are so angry with Jozef; neither does writer-director Wladyslaw Pasikowski (“Katyn,” co-written by Andrzej Wajda). The townspeople have sent him a message in no uncertain terms: if you stick up for those whom we treat as outsiders then will be one too by association if nothing else he’s Jewish. It’s plausible enough blind prejudice like this could occur anywhere, but not as presented here.

All we know about them is that they’re unfriendly to outsiders; town’s oldest resident sneers at Franciszek because he’s from America and isn’t planning on moving back down to farm; and Jozef gets beat up in a bar just because he doesn’t like soccer player that other customers do. Nobody gives us any reason behind mob’s actions except for one unnamed thug who says “The Jews killed our lord, and he’s standing up for them.”

This lack of definition in the community might make some sense were “Aftermath” parable about forgiveness but it isn’t. Instead Pasikowski has kicked over stone expects audience first gasp worms underneath then cheer on his protagonists they struggle to put rock back again. Only problem is film heroes aren’t all that likable nor even particularly well drawn: more interesting character by default since he’s an amateur detective stubbornly refusing let sleeping dogs lie when comes snooping around trying get answers out people (such as priest) whom nobody else will talk to

Franciszek would have been much more compelling if only because you think how resourceful this guy must be given what little we see him actually doing detective-wise such talking priests digging up old land surveys figure which properties are owned where etcetera but Jozef? Frankly I don’t even know why suppose care about his sorry ass beyond feeling sorry for anyone so obviously hell bent self destruction against whom others conspire like bars full drunken fools eager take swings each other’s heads off night long also told brother says doesn’t so maybe there’s that too

Jozef cannot explain why he does what he does, because Pasikowski sees him and Franciszek as heroes of the working class. Franciszek may dress well, being so rich that he can replace his whole wardrobe when it is stolen mysteriously. But at one point in the movie his defends his blue collar heritage by saying in America he is just a construction worker doing jobs Americans won’t do.

That implies that it is innately good to be “salt of the earth” type person. While Jozef wipes down tombstones to prove himself; Pasikowski wants us to regard him as a man who acts rightly without thinking about it. Unfortunately for him, all we see is a big guy cleaning graves in that moment.

Generally speaking “Aftermath” has no moral compass. It never occurs to Pasikowski that knee jerk reactions are equally likely from people with lower class backgrounds as they are from Franciszek or Jozef. The filmmaker would rather shame his villains than understand them, they begin the film as monsters and stay monsters; such is life according to this movie.

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