Cultural antropology shows that magic ritual has characteristics definitely differentiating it from a prayer to a god. A prayer is a request which can be granted or ignored, discretionary of the instance to which it is directed. A magical ritual instead is an act of coercion of the entity or the element which the subject is trying to propitiate in order to obtain direct, contingent personal profit.

The movie about such tricks takes place in Walbrzych. It narrates a part of a childhood of a little boy whose mother works long hours in a family shop, and who is looked after by his elderly sister - who studies Italian in the hope for a better future, a job in an international company. Stefek does not know his father, yet he manages to recognize that the man with a suitcase in his hand boarding the train at the station everyday looks strangely familiar. This is where the game of little rituals starts, rituals that lend themselves to the title, small na?ve ways in which the fate could be appeased, thanks to small sacrifices and propitiatory spells.

Andrzej Jakimowski, thanks to a few easily recognizable elements (pigeons, lead soldiers, change tossed on the rails) creates a movie based on the notion of return and of the relationship with what is familiar and almost encoded in our genetic patrimony. Magic naturally does not sort out problems of all the heroes, whose microscopic happenings are shown lightly and gracefully, yet it may allow for the most secret of Stefek's wishes to come true. A particular credit goes to Sztuczki for the absence of sentimentalism and superfluous pathos, which is achieved by setting the eye of the camera at the hight of Stefek. The boy treats his spells with utmost seriousness, he performs every action with care and seriousness of a scientist who believes in cause-effect relationship. The Hero himsefl contributed greatly to the success of this delicate and slightly dreamlike operation. Damian Ul, like most children, approaches acting with paramount dedication and seriousness, the same with which children play (in an extremely professional way). Funny are also the Italian elements, realistically reflecting the dreams of some Poles of a better life if Italy, perhaps fascinated by the Italian language.

Mauro Corso, FilmFilm.it

http://www.filmfilm.it/film.asp?idfilm=27606

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