Tricks



    In Tricks we experience a long warm summer in a Polish provincial town. We follow the six year old Stefek and his eighteen year old sister Elka, two young people with their own hopes and worries. Stefek wants nothing more than to have a real father next to him, while Elka does not really know what she wants yet: a peaceful life with car mechanic Jerzy or a lightning career at the local branch of an Italian company. Brother and sister spend their days together in parks or at the picturesque station, where they do not do much more except watching.
    Despite the minimal plot, Tricks proves to be an exciting art-house movie. This owes much to the fantasy of the brother and sister. Both live in their own world, and by following their daily comings and goings we learn more about that world step by step. By following Stefek's gaze, with the camera at the eyelevel of a child, we see what he sees and experience his delight in railroad signals, market salesmen and sunbathing adults.
    Just as amusing is the assortment of tricks (the 'tricks' of the title) which act as a leitmotif throughout the movie. Stefek tries to make the doves fly out of a local dove keeper's cot. The trick that he devises is equally ingenious as humorous. But his sister Elka is also good at tricks, even though hers are much more practical and never based on magic.
    The most important quality of 'Tricks' is the way in which the non-professional actors give depth to the parts of their characters. Stefek, Elka and her friend Jerzy are engaging characters, which are realistically played. The siblings even resemble one another with their obstinate lower lip and tough way of looking. From the very first minute you become attached to the characters, and all you want to do is look at their faces which bring to mind a world of thoughts and emotions.
    This makes 'Tricks' one of the few movies of which you can say that they are never too long. After sharing good times and bad times with brother and sister for over an hour, having to say goodbye is a sad affair. It is no surprise then that the good-natured, humorous, nostalgic and accessible 'Tricks' were a huge success in Poland. This very special movie about ordinary people is a must-see for every art-house moviegoer. And as a bonus you'll even get a useful lesson about women and cars.

Henny Wouters, www.movie2movie.nl

http://www.movie2movie.nl/r68160-Recensie-Tricks.html