Daleko od siebie (1995)

Director:

Feliks Falk

Writers:

Feliks Falk (writer)
Maciej Karpinski (writer)

Release Date:

14 October 1996 (Poland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Border | Fatherhood | Murder | Son | Ukrainian

Cast

Artur Zmijewski	...	Marcin Borowski
Mateusz Kosiorowski	...	Michal Marczuk
Malgorzata Foremniak	...	Dorota, Marcin's fiancee (as Malgorzata Foremniak-Jedruszczak)
Joanna Jezewska	...	Maria Marczuk
Roman Gancarczyk	...	Piotr, Marcin's Collaborator
Henryk Talar	...	Police Investigator
Pawel Nowisz	...	Man in Former Orphanage
Agnieszka Pilaszewska	...	Doctor at Police Station
Anna Gornostaj	...	Ewa, Marcin's Secretary
Juliusz Berger	...	Antiquarian in Lwów
Jacek Hilchen	...	Doctor Examining Michal
Stanislaw Penksyk	...	Ukrainian Consulate Clerk
Jerzy Molga	...	Bognar
Joanna Kolakowska	...	Maria's Friend
Marcin Jedrzejewski	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Far from the Other (International: English title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Poland

Language:

Ukrainian | Polish

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Lviv, Ukraine

Company:

Agencja Produkcji Filmowej

A riveting story about the bond between father & son

This movie is to me rather excellent in its sense. The story of how one young boy sees his own mother's rape & murder while travelling from Ukraine to Poland to visit his father(who he has never seen as his parents separated). The father must now care for 8 year old Michal as he goes through depression. This movie shows how the 2 strangers bond, becoming father and son. The father has trouble discipling Michal, but gets to know him better and love him. However, the father's girlfriend isn't happy and wants him to send the child back to Ukraine, or to an orphanage. When Michal overhears the conversation, he gets upset as he thinks his dad will send him away, thus he runs away planning to return to Ukraine himself. The father then realises how much he loves Michal, and chooses his son over his girlfriend, which to me is the best decision he's ever made. While he searches for Michal, we see Michal hitching rides, spotting the foursome who brutally murdered his mother and avenged her on his own by burning their vehicle. The boy is found later and sent back to Ukraine while his dad is at the border and spots him being taken away. Michal screams for his father and his father shouts back that he'll get Michal back no matter what.

That's how it ends, which is kinda like in the middle of nowhere. Will he get Michal back? Will he gain custody seeing he has no definite proof that he's Michal's father? Many questions swim in your head by this unfinished ending.

Yet, it is worth a watch. Mateusz Kosiorowski puts up an excellent performance as young Michal. This movie also shows how Ukrainians bad mouth the Polish, and how the young boy sees the Polish through his dad who he grows to adore.

Lovely movie...don't miss it!