Polish film of the year 2018, directed by Adrian Panek with an excellent and disturbing story, supported by a splendid and young cast.
A group of children and teenagers, prisoners of the Nazi concentration camp Gross-Rosen, are liberated by the Russians. The children are left in a mansion, where an adult woman will take care of them. There is almost no food or water and the Russians have not brought them any food. A pack of dogs, trained by the Nazis to kill, and now loose, surround the house to hunt their prey. The children will have to survive anyway, causing conflicts between their relationships, a disturbing struggle between them and their environment, an extension of the hell from which they have just escaped.
The group is made up of children and adolescents, some with the sexual awakening of their age. The differences, the jealousy and the attraction towards the death will affect the relations of the elders. Wladek is attracted to Hanka, the older girl in the group who is thinking of leaving home and moving on with her life. Another teenager joins the liberated group, Hanys, with whom Hanka seems to get along, provoking Wladek's jealousy.
It is Wladek's character that perfectly reflects the consequences of taking the human being to the lowest, victim of the worst humiliations and humiliations by the Nazis. The young man will bring out the worst feelings and pure evil, just like his captors.
He is a survivor of hell, but at the same time he is a monster created by the circumstances to which he was subjected. When a human being is robbed of all dignity, it is already impossible for him to feel anything other than hatred and rancor.
Killer dogs represent a new threat, as if the Nazis had become that pack of dogs trained to kill. But the real threat, and the most disturbing one, is the one present inside the house, in the relationship between the group of children.
The tension and the scenes of suspense are constant in almost all the film, locked up in the mansion, without being able to go out, without food or water. This filthy environment will make them make desperate decisions, and the plans they make to escape will bring out their darker side.
A somber atmosphere, offering us scenes that manage to transmit a disturbing atmosphere, with that character Waldek, who behind his glasses, hides the look of a child whose childhood has been taken away and who has seen death on his face.
Only the final part, the story is softened, giving an encouraging ending and that hope in the human being should not be lost yet. I would have liked that ending to be more raw, without messages of hope or redemption.
Most of the children in the group are new actors, it was their first experience in acting. They were chosen after an extensive search through the casting, where they wanted children who could be strong on the screen. The result is a cast of children who do an excellent job.
Only two of the young actors had acting experience. Przygoda had already worked in Playground and Panic Attack. In Warewolf he plays Hanys. The young concentration camp prisoner who will join the group of children and take refuge in the mansion.
The other actress with previous experience is the beautiful Sonia Mietielica, who plays Hanka, the leader of the group. The actress is 25 years old and has several works done in her country, she was already known for her performance in the mini series Spies of Warsaw. Later, in 2019, she released the film Teatroteka: Beauty and is currently working on two films and another film that is in pre-production, called The Peasants, will be released in 2022.
The big revelation is the new actor Kamil Polnisiak, with WareWolf being his first and only acting work. The young man perfectly embodies the character of Wladek, disturbing his presence on the screen. He has not worked on anything else, according to his profile on IMDB. I don't know anything about this Polish actor, but I hope he decides to return to film.
Warewolf ( Wilkolak ) is the second film by Polish filmmaker Adrian Panek, who made his debut in 2011 with the historic film Daas. So far he has worked on several television series in his country. Pulapka , Kod genetyczny and currently in post-production on the series Otwórz oczy. He does not have any short term film projects, we will have to wait for him to find a project that will catch his eye and make him direct a film again.
A powerful story of drama and terror, with disturbing scenes and a cast of children and young people who impact us with this story set in one of the darkest times in history. There is no better terror than that instilled by human beings themselves.
Look for it in the streaming platform or in some video on demand service. I recommend it.
My Ranking: 3.4/5
Original Film Tittle: WILKOLAK
