Family of Man

Poland1966documentary24'Pokaz specjalny (2018)

This fascinating film is one of the most outstanding works of the Polish cinematography. Its magnitude is proportionate to its simplicity. Slesicki documents an unhurried daily existence of a peasant family living in harmony with the surrounding nature. Away from the urban bustle, life goes on to the repeatable rhythm of everyday events. Everything one does here is equally important and requires the same attention, whether it is herding cattle, feeding chickens, or shelling an egg, like the fisherman in his boat waiting for the fish to bite. Material traces of the history that swept through this part of the world some years ago have blended into the existing order of things – bunker ruins have been incorporated into a fence and a soldier’s helmet is now used to scoop grain for chickens. The film is economical with words. Its every frame looks like a photograph taken by a master of documentary photography and then set in motion. And that is no confidence as the title refers to the most famous exhibition in the history of photography – The Family of Man by Edward Steichen. Indeed, two of its photographs feature in the film’s opening scene. The protagonist of this timeless parable about a human family living in concord with the natural world are the Ksiazkowski family from the village of Plaska in the Augustow Primeval Forest, whom Slesicki had met a few years before. He said about his film: “At a closer look, The Family of Man isn’t a picture of a happy existence. It leaves no place for tenderness, sentiments or caresses. Their relentless hard work and nearness to nature with its unyielding laws have made their feelings and customs grow more severe.” Slesicki’s documentary has been recognized around the world. It was awarded a Golden Lion at the festival in Venice, an Emmy in Hollywood and prizes at festivals in Krakow, Montevideo, Edinburgh, Oberhausen and Cordoba.