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Poland 1999 / 35 mm / B&W; / 90 min. | |||
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LIFE HURTS transports us back to Poland of the late '60s. Dressed in a long, stained caftan, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, hands gesticulating wildly and drinking vodka from small glasses as if celebrating a private mass, Rafal Wojaczek is a young man of his time, rude, angry, searching desparately for a way out. He burns the candle of life at both ends and wouldn't be disappointed if it goes out. He recites his poetry to anyone who'll listen, even to those who won't. Women throw themselves at him, especially nurses, whom he charms on his regular visits to the hospital. Viktor, an old poet, his only friend, can only watch sadly as Wojaczek continues on his determined passage to martyrdom. Rafal Wojaczek was a rebellious poet, who died prematurely, like Jean-Michel Basquiat or Jim Morrison. He died in 1971 at the age of 26. Fueled by his self-destructive life, his poetry made a lasting impression on generations of Poles. He drank and fought and walked through windows. Constantly attempting suicide, he unsuccessfully hung himself and jumped from the third floor. Confronting death on a daily basis, he tried to tame it. Loved by women, he cared for no one, not even himself. living desperado-style only for poetry. Conscious of the need for myth in the mythless reality of communist Poland, he burned his life as an offering. -- Lech Majewski |
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| Script: Lech Majewski, Maciej Melecki. Phot.: Adam Sikora. Ed.: Eliot Ems. Cast: Krzysztof Siwczyk, Dominika Ostalowska, Andrzej Mastalerz, Elibieta Okupska, Miroszawa Lombardo. Prod.: Henryk Romanowski Filmcontract, Chelmska 21, 00724 Varsovie (Pologne), t�l. & fax: (48-22) 841 65 91, e-mail: [email protected]. | |||
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Lech Majewski Poet, novelist, composer, set designer, producer and director, Lech Majewski was born in Katowice, Poland in 1953 and graduated from the Lodz Film School in 1977. He emigrated to the United States in 1981 but has lived in Poland since 1997. He has published novels, essays, poetry and screenplays (including the one for Julian Schnabel's BASQUIAT in 1996). He has directed theatre, opera and television. His filmography includes: ANNUNCIATION (1978), THE KNIGHT (1980), FLIGHT OF THE SPRUCE GOOSE (1985), PRISONER OF RIO (1989), GOSPEL ACCORDING TO HARRY (1992) and THE ROE'S ROOM (1997). |