– I am shooting a film about widely understood domestic violence: mental, physical, sexual and economic – says the director and screenwriter. “good home” Wojtek SmerzowskiHe immediately stipulated that he would not reveal any details because he does not talk about his films before viewers see them.
The actors reveal more to us Thomas Schuchardt I Agata TurcotteTo whom the director entrusted the main roles. Both previously played with Smarzowski in the historical story of “Wesele.” In the movie “Good House” they play a couple brought together by love. But with the passage of time, their relationship will turn into injustice and a trap from which there is no way out. “We are immersed in this violence,” Schuchardt says. Both emphasize that, as always in Wojtek Smarzowski's films, the actors have to confront very difficult emotions that represent the everyday reality of screen characters. – We use every moment of break on set, when we are able to create a little nicer atmosphere, to laugh and talk about nonsense – Schuchardt adds, emphasizing that it is not worth accumulating frustration and toxicity, but you have to release them on an ongoing basis.
He adds: “Violence is cancer.” Andrei Konopka He played the mayor, a friend of the main character, with whom he had some not-so-pure business dealings. “As a film artist, Wojtek has a unique ability to identify difficult social topics and bring them to the screen in a way that often sparks nationwide discussions,” he says of the screenplay for “Good House,” the reading of which turned out to be a very emotional experience.
From the outside, through large windows, we observe the scene of a meeting of the local elite. Inside, in the living room, about a dozen people are sitting at a table talking about work. In addition to our interlocutors, there are also several other actors playing supporting characters, including: Robert Wabich, Agnieszka Przybyorka, Mikhail Gadomski, and Przemek Przestrzeski. Behind them – in the corridor – the film crew, led by cinematographer Pawel Tibora, gathers in a small space. He has been working with Wojtek Smarzowski for over a dozen years, but this is the first time he has been responsible for the visual layer of a film.
We met during the production of the movie “House of Evil,” where I was doing special effects. Then we cooperated in this capacity in subsequent titles. Since I started playing with the camera a little, Smarzoll invited me and we made some music videos together for the band Arca Jakupicka D. A teddy bear and some ads. He says: I think he felt he could trust me and we took the necessary measures. The location is the same as in Sokoli: small space, intermittent windows, light coming from different directions – all this poses a great challenge to the operator. Especially for someone with relatively little experience. – I am less afraid of all this because on the one hand I have Voytek, and on the other hand, the lighting master Bogdan Modzelevskiy – two people who learned about plots and from whom I learned a lot – talking about working on the set of “The Good House”. “It's difficult in this location because we have a glass-to-glass system, so we have to make sure we don't accidentally bounce somewhere,” he adds.
The space in which the film's characters move was created by experienced set designer Joanna Macha, who previously collaborated with Smarzowski on “Drogówka”. – “Dom Dobry” is a more intimate project. Its difficulty lies in the subject matter itself and in making everything in the background of the story work to its advantage. The meticulousness with which we have to think about designing the set is certainly more precise – he says, emphasizing that preparations for entering the set took more than a year, and the appearance of each location was discussed and planned to the smallest detail. -As the story progresses, the main characters become more and more distant from others, dooming themselves. He adds that the drama takes place between four walls.
– I'm the type of person who asks myself: Is there a benefit to taking the camera out of the car? I hope that this film will contribute to some discussion, because although everything seems fine on paper and in the regulations, in real life it does not work – says Smerzowski, although he emphasizes that after “Wołyń” and “Men Religion” He had slightly lost his belief that cinema had the power to change reality.
However, the entire Beit Al Khair team strongly believes in this. – This is an important and powerful topic – emphasizes Joanna Macha. – I think this film will start a discussion about violence and how to act in the face of such violence – echoes Andrei Konopka. Agata Turcotte adds: – I hope that through our film we can make many people think about the problem of violence and draw conclusions.
We will find out what the discussion about “The Good House” will look like only in the fall of 2025, when Warner. Bros Entertainment Polska will release it in cinemas.
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