The Hatcher

Grzegorz Molda's full-length debut is about a bad upbringing. It is an intriguing, subversive, maybe even deceptive film, that combines elements of a dystopian drama, dark comedy, and thriller. The film is set in a carefully locked apartment sparely equipped to rehabilitate Karol (Michał Zieliński). Every day, he is visited by Marta (choreographer and dancer Agnieszka Kryst, in her cinematic debut) to teach the boy good behavior, table manners and cleanliness. However, their strictly regulated relationship, unexpectedly to anyone and dangerously to all – escapes the legal confines. Starting with an intimate situation, Molda bravely sketches out a radical criticism of the familial and societal rearing processes. He asks provocative questions about the differences between upbringing and training, intimacy and oppression, love and control.

Małgorzata Sadowska / IFF New Horizons