The scenario of "Pornography" is similar to Volker Schlöndorff's 1976 "Coup de Grace" -- how long can the picturesque countryside provide shelter from suffering and violence? While the Nazis prowl the woods and stop by for eggs and milk, the quiet Witold (Adam Ferency) and his mysterious friend Fryderyk (Krzysztof Majchrzak) take refuge in playing matchmakers to their host's dewey daughter Henia (Sandra Samos.)
Exhuberant episodes of East European humor, bizarre moments in which Fryderyk seems possessed by strange powers, and eruptions of shocking violence follow close on each other's heels. Helped along by bracing performances, the sudden shifts of tone feel natural. Surrounded by the rustic beauty of the Polish countryside, death and love appear as two inseparable flip sides of the same coin.
Pornography is showing at the New York Film Festival on October 6 and 7. The film does not have a North American distributor yet.
