Papusza

A Polish provincial town at the beginning of the twentieth century; A Roma girl marvels at a toy doll in a shop window. Shortly afterwards, in a forest, she gives birth to a child: She names it Papusza, doll. According to prophecy the name will bring either honour or disgrace. In defiance of her clan's resistance young Papusza learns to read and write. Her Polish companion Jerzy Ficowski discovers her literary talent and encourages her to publish poetry. Acclaimed by the Poles as an up-and-coming poet, she is accused by her own community of betraying wisdom long perceived unique to her community.

PAPUSZA is a journey through time. Scenograpically true in detail, in this biopic the Polish directing duo Krzystof Krauze and Joanna Kos-Krauze retrace not only the changing life and times of the Roma poet Bronislawa Wajs, but also the nomadic lifestyle and destiny of the Roma people in Poland in the pre- and post-war period: Itinerancy, persecution and eventual communist coercion. Filmed in Romani, the Krauzes use Papusza to highlight the ambivalent attitude of Poles towards the Roma, at the same time emphasising the cultural autonomy of the latter. Owing to the idyllic imagery of Krzysztof Ptak and Wojciech Staroń one gets a sense for the exhilaration of such a nomadic existence in the midst of nature and how Papusza's creative powers were able to draw thereupon for sustenance. A visual adventure.