Polish
brothers Alfons and Mieczysław Kułakowscy survived periods of exile in Siberia
and Kazakhstan, but when they finally returned to Poland, they settled in
decidedly Siberian-looking rural corner. They do not seem to be city folk, yet
they are most definitely cosmopolitan. The younger Alfons is a celebrated
artist, while the older Mieczysław is a well-traveled cartographer. Despite
their fraternal bickering, their tight bond has always been key to their
survival, but inevitability looms in Wojciech Staroń’s Brothers (trailer
here),
which screens during this year’s Hot Docs in Toronto.
Initially,
Alfons seems like he is a bit out of it, but we come to understand that is just
his artistic temperament. He is also fit as a fiddle, unlike the eternally
practical Mieczysław. Unfortunately, the older brother’s body is breaking down—and
the old mapmaker has largely resigned himself to the process. As a result,
Alfons will now take on greater caretaker duties, in what amounts to a subtle
role-reversal.
Staroń’s
approach is scrupulously laidback and observational, reflecting the brother’s
hospitable acceptance of the filmmaker into their daily lives. It is the
intimately personal film Staroń had to make, but in a way, it is something of a
missed opportunity, because the brothers led such a legitimately epic life. At
one point they escaped from a Soviet Siberian work camp, apparently only to be
deported to the Central Asian republic sometime later. They also traveled throughout
the USSR as part of Mieczysław Kułakowscy’s cartography assignments following
the De-Stalinization campaign. Yet, we only get a hint of their adventures
through the scratchy 16mm films he shot.
Still,
Staroń has an unusually strong visual sensibility for a documentarian, often
incorporating shots of the surrounding environment that echo Alfons’ paintings
and drawings. The contemporary classical score further enhances the classy
vibe. It is all quite a sensitively rendered portrait. Nonetheless, we wish Staroń
had recorded their life stories while he had the chance.
