Strawman tells the story of Bronek, an agent of the secret police in Communist Poland. Bronek is involved in a long-term surveillance operation targeted at Bishop Karol Wojtyła. Thanks to its focus on Bronek as the protagonist, the film shows known facts in a unique manner (the struggle for the construction of a church in Nowa Huta in Cracow, surveillance of church circles by the secret police). Strawman is not a bio-pic about the future pope, Karol Wojtyła is here only as a catalyst for action. Motivated by his desire for money and promotion, Bronek repeatedly crosses moral boundaries, and becomes obsessed with his invigilation of Wojtyła. The film skillfully uses generic tropes of an espionage thriller to tell the story of a man, who gets drawn deeper and deeper into the isolated, immoral world of the secret service and gradually succumbs to loneliness, evil and crime.
- Main Competition
- Polish Films Competition
- Directors' Debuts Competition
- Cinematographers' Debuts Competition
- Cinematographers' Debuts Competition, Directors' Debuts Competition
- Documentary Features Competition
- Documentary Shorts Competition
- Film And Art School Etudes Competition
- Music Videos Competition
- TV Series Competition
- Special Screening
- Documentary Special Screening
- Contemporary World Cinema
- Copernicus - Scientists - Explorers - Dreamers
- Picturing the World for 75 Years. Lodz Film School Anniversary
- 100 Years of Disney Animation: A Shorts Celebration
- Panorama Etiud Studenckich Szkół Filmowych i Artystycznych
- Krzysztof Zanussi Retrospective
- Wojciech Jerzy Has Retrospective
- Peter Zeitlinger and Werner Herzog Retrospective
- Quay Brothers Retrospective
- Peter Biziou Retrospective
Q&A for Strawman
Figurant
MEETINGS AND EVENTS
Cinematographer: Adam Bajerski
Director: Robert Gliński
Producer: Zbigniew Domagalski, Włodzimierz Niderhaus
Writer: Andrzej Gołda
Production designer: Ryszard Melliwa
Editor: Krzysztof Szpetmański
Cast: Adrian Brząkała, Zuzanna Lit, Zbigniew Stryj, Mateusz Więcławek, Marianna Zydek
Production Company: Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych (WFDiF)
Year: 2023
Country: Poland
Time: 111