Polish Short Films Competition

Hi, How are you

Poland

2019

25'

About

Hi, how are you is a short film depicting the story of Sławek, a 50 years old man, who chooses to become unemployed of his own volition.

He begins to roam the neighborhood in search for his lost cat, meanwhile maintaining the most essential housework dictated by his wife, Marta, in order to be left alone. The woman imposes increasing pressure, scheduling therapy appointments and keeping a lookout for job offers, all for his sake and against his will at the same time.

Sławek doesn’t seem to be bothered by it . The chase for his cat leads him to a property owned by Kamila, an eccentric teeneger, who has been steering clear of the outside world for a year.

The protagonists, consumed by their own traumas, strike up an unlikely friendship. It is Kamila’s garden where Sławek finds the world he longed for. Peace and quiet, the place allows him to distance himself from the life course.

The film has been based on actual events and furthermore finds an essential inspirition in The Elephant Vanishes, a collection of 17 short stories by Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

Credits

Director: Michał Chmielewski

Cinematographer: Paweł Grabarek

Editor: Daniel Gąsiorowski

Cast: Jacek Poniedziałek, Maja Szopa, Aleksandra Justa

Producer : Krystyna Doktorowicz

Production Company: Szkoła Filmowa im. Krzysztofa Kieślowskiego Uniwersytetu Śląskiego

Images