Two Polish films nominated for this year’s Oscars in the Best Documentary Short Film category—“Joanna” and “Our Curse”—will be screened on February 23 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Film Discussion Club.
“Our Curse,” directed by Tomasz Śliwiński, a graduate of the directing department of the Warsaw Film School, documents the struggles of the director and his wife with their newborn child’s very rare and incurable disease. Ondine’s curse (Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome, CCHS) causes breathing to stop during sleep and requires lifelong assistance with respiratory function provided by a ventilator. This very personal statement by the director shows the process of coming to terms with the fear associated with the disease.
“Joanna,” on the other hand, is not a conventional record of dying and saying goodbye to the world; rather, it is an intimate and tender story about the simplest feelings, about being here and now, relationships, mindfulness and Epicureanism in the shadow of illness. Joanna savors every moment, despite having been diagnosed with a serious illness. She promised her young son that she would do everything to be with him as long as possible. She does not give up. For Jaś, she runs a blog in which she describes their everyday life—simply and accurately. The blog itself becomes an inspiration for many readers to live attentively and happily. The film shows fragments from the lives of Joanna, her husband Piotr and their son Jaś. Told through discreet observations, it is atmospheric and often humorous. Simple and sensual, it is about looking closely at life and about love.
The film “Ida,” also nominated for an Oscar, can also be seen at Forum Cinema until February 26. Reservations and information are available on the Forum Cinema website.