DN Magasinet 13/14 september 2008

[Reviewed]
[Film]

b Polish gem
Tricks is a perfectly weighed, little big movie.

[Caption to the photo: MAGIC OF THE ORDINARY DAY. Miracles may happen in a small, inconspicuous town, too, just like in the Polish amazing Tricks.

A tone to Tricks is given by the dedication: "To my sister, even though she put me onto the wardrobe." The director Andrzej Jakimowski goes on to say then that he knows his sister's attempt to limit his freedom of movement was partially dictated by her love and concern. The six-year-old Stefek (Damian Ul) experiences something similar in his family. He must keep his fingers crossed. As long as he continues to do so, he won't be able to do much harm. Possibly.

Everyday magic. Stefek may be a boy wishing for the moon, but he settles for more everyday, if not equally great, wonders. For instance, he settles for dreaming that his father, who abandoned his family when the boy was just a baby, will come back. Spending his vacation time, he hangs around the small sleepy town where he lives, watching particularly the train station. He makes up his mind to think that a man he sees every day on the platform is his missing father, initiating a series of small tricks which are supposed to make the rest of the world believe it, too.

The boy's sister Elka (Ewelina Walendziak) has taught him how to subtly help his luck. Although Tricks is generally a film about the boy who would like to have his father back again, it is also a unique portrayal of Stefek's different relations: his relationship with his teenage sister and that with her boyfriend, as well as a wary bonding that is gradually building up between him and the man on the platform. Tricks does not confront us with big surprises or sudden and dramatic turns of the plot; on the contrary, it presents many minor, subtle turbulences which can be attributed to coincidence or everyday magic. In the plot, the difference between these two factors is not very clear. Stefek believes firmly that his two tin soldiers will help him with his task and in the adventures they have together, which adds a comical yet moving touch to the whole story.

Unforgettable music. The music by Tomasz Gšssowski, with its main guitar and flute theme in quintuple time, slips into the small town's own rhythm; it is a rare successful example of the film music which is omnipresent, not as a foreign, but separate, underlining and unusual element. The music emphasizes the way in which Jakimowski uses the nameless town as an incessantly expanding arena where its dwellers move around in harmony with the carefully arranged yet extremely unforced choreography, in which nothing has been left to chance. Both the portrayed town celebrities and the theatric manner of handling the camera resemble the movies by Milos Forman of the late 60s and early 70s.

The screening of Tricks is preceded by the projection of the Norwegian short film Varde directed by Hanne Larsen. The latter is set in a definitely more modern reality, however the acting is good, and the subject is thematically complementary to the main movie.
OYVOR DALAN VIK
v The Magical Summer (Tricks), Poland 2007, directed by Andrzej Jakimowski, screening time 95 minutes, age: 7 years, Norwegian premiere: September 12, cast: Damian Ul, Ewelina Walendziak, Rafał GuŸniczak, Tomasz Sapryk and others.