Silent Love

Filmstill Silent Love

Silent Love

Silent Love
Marek Kozakiewicz
Panorama Middle and Eastern Europe 2022
Documentary Film
Germany,
Poland
2022
72 minutes
Polish
subtitles: 
English

The rules in rural Poland are clear: Every man must have a woman; every dancer must have a female dancer. The pubescent Miłosz feels safe here, especially after his mother’s death. His sister Agnieszka, who is in a long-distance relationship with her friend Majka, does everything to obtain custody of her little brother. Gradually, a new family model is revealed, documented by Marek Kozakiewicz as an attempt that is as restrained as it is determined.

The windmills behind the houses rotate steadily, standing in place, signalling stability. But the lives of Miłosz and his 35-year-old sister are in turmoil. They are facing a red-tape marathon to make Agnieska his legal guardian: Both have been orphans for a few months. Director Marek Kozakiewicz depicts the establishment of a new family no one expects much applause for in conservative Poland. Because for Agnieszka and her partner, who is ten years older, the determination to try living together manifests tentatively. Without kisses, without celebrations, the decision almost casually becomes reality – the women are exploring the boundary between platonic tenderness and enforced secrecy. And Miłosz, too, seems to realise only slowly what the relationship between Majka and Agnieszka really is.
Carolin Weidner

Credits DOK Leipzig Logo

Marek Kozakiewicz
Agnieszka Skalska
Alexandre Tondowski
Ira Tondowski
Thomas Beyer
Catherine Le Goff
Marek Kozakiewicz
Anna Garncarczyk
Agata Cierniak
Bartosz Bludau
Marek Kozakiewicz
Marek Kozakiewicz
Winner of MDR Film Prize
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Family Ties
Gender Norms
Queer Lives