The
war is over, but for many Polish women, it is hard to call the aftermath “peace.” This is especially true for the ethnic German
Masurians, formerly of eastern Prussia, like Rose Kwiatkowska. Though Poland has been “liberated,” they are
constantly reminded “their side” lost, and are treated as treasonous pariahs,
accordingly. Yet, Kwiatkowska’s
situation is especially dire, as a mysterious Polish veteran slowly discovers
in Wojtek Smarzowski’s uncompromising Rose
(trailer
here), which
opened the 2012 Brooklyn Film Festival last night at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema.
Tadeusz
Mazur is a world-weary Home Army veteran, who witnessed things during the
Warsaw Uprising no man could forget. He
watched as his wife was raped and murdered by the rampaging National Socialists
and was also present during the death of Kwiatkowska’s husband. She is not exactly welcoming when he turns up
to deliver some of her husband’s effects, yet a bond slowly forms between
them. Kwiatkowska needs protection from
the Soviet-aligned bandits, literally raping and pillaging the Masurian
countryside. She could also use his help
clearing the landmines from her fields, so they can harvest the potatoes. As for Mazur, he has his reasons to lay low,
hoping not to attract the attention of the NKVD. However, Masuria is not the best place to be
to avoid trouble.
Michał
Szczerbic’s screenplay is brutally direct and honest about the treatment of
women during wartime, by the Germans, the Soviets, and their minions (indeed,
they all seem to blend together throughout the film). The sheer volume of sexual assaults in Smarzowski’s
historical drama is overwhelming, but they are never treated in a lurid or
sensationalized fashion. Rather, it is a
harrowing depiction of an ugly period of institutionalized score-settling.
Yet,
incredibly, Rose is a fundamentally a
love story, sensitively bringing to life the brief but intense relationship
that develops between Kwiatkowska and Mazur.
There are no cute courtship rituals or romantic contrivances. They simply fall in love (or something near
enough to it), while banding together to survive. It is definitely not pretty, but in a way, it
is kind of beautiful.
Marcin
Dorociński is riveting as Mazur, portraying him as both a flinty man of action
and a tragic romantic hero. It is a bit
surprising how thoroughly he dominates the film (since it is called Rose), but he does. Agata Kulesza is also quite haunting as
Kiatkowska, creating a profile of herculean endurance. Their scenes together are quite special.
