GOSC - THE GUEST, Poland - 30min, 2018
SCRIPT, DIRECTOR and CINEMATOGRAPHER Sebastian Weber
EDITOR Anna Dobrowodzka
PRODUCTION Munk Studio, Polish Filmmakers Association
watch on: https://dafilms.com/film/11588-guest
“You should look for a soul mate, life would be easier”, says a priest visiting an old bachelor in his farmhouse around Christmas. A wife would take care of the cooking and ironing. There would be someone to talk to or share the labour with. Yes, there is a lot to do on the farm each year, but Wojciech somehow makes it on his own. His parents died several years ago. He had a girlfriend twice, but it didn’t work out. He’s alone now but he’s not living just for himself. There’s also Paweł, a young man suffering from an alcohol addiction, and Wojciech is like an older brother for him. He visits him in hospital, supports him in his struggle with addiction or sits on the sofa with him, watching television and sharing his life stories. And there is the third person, observing their unusual relationship: the Swiss director.
Weber keeps his distance, watching the farmer’s everyday life, but then again he becomes a character in the story, introducing himself to the priest or asking about the country life. There is a time for observing church worship and for dancing to the rhythm of popular disco polo hits. The peaceful life in the Polish countryside revolves around the four seasons and Catholic holidays.
Guest shows the mundane life of a Polish village. It’s dirty and repulsive, in a cowshed or a cluttered attic, but it’s also beautiful, such as when we look out the window at an idyllic landscape of snow-covered fields or grazing cows. The film is warm and honest, just like the main character, who has accepted his fate and solitude. The presence of the director with a camera doesn’t disturb the course of Wojciech’s life but it adds to its meaning.
https://polishdocs.pl/en/reviews/4181/the_review_of_the_guest_by_sebastian_weber
Festivals:
World Premiere at the 58th Krakow Film Festival 2018, National Competition
47th International Film Festival – Lubuskie Film Summer 2018, Competition
Koszalin Film Festival "Debiutow Filmowych Mlodzi i Film" 2018, National Competition
18th New Horizons International Film Festival, shortlist 2018
Festiwal Filmowy Opolski Lamy 2018, Main Competition
OFF CINEMA Festival 2018, Competition
Warsaw Film Festival 2018, Section "Best Polish Shorts of the year 2018"
International Premiere at Doclisboa 2018 - 16º Festival Internacional de Cinema, International Competition
Independent Competition 13th ŻUBROFFKA International Short Film Festival 2018
“Polski Blues” 16. NEISSE FILMFESTIVAL 2019
Polish Competition, Short Waves Festival 2019
Cheap Cuts Doc Fest - official competition 2020
Awards:
- Honorable Mention of the Jury - Koszalinski Festiwal Debiutow Filmowych Mlodzi i Film 2018
- Honorable Mention of the Jury - OFF CINEMA Festival 2018
- Doclisboa 2018 - Portuguese Authors Society International Competition Jury Award
- Doclisboa 2018 - Ageas Insurance Award for best short film (up to 40’) from a selection comprising all sections
- Best film in national competition INDEPENDENTS - 13th żubroffka film festival 2018
- Winner of the Polish Competition at Short Waves Festival 2019
Trailer:
