BOŻE CIAŁO

Daniel is serving a sentence in a young offenders institution. He occasionally assists a priest as an altar boy there. After his release on probation, he is supposed to go and work in a sawmill, but the conditions there are hardly better than in the juvenile prison. Daniel finds a place to stay in the parsonage of a neighbouring village where he pretends to be a servant of God. His host is the congregation's elderly alcoholic priest. When the priest has his next relapse, he is secretly sent off to rehab – and Daniel temporarily takes over his place. With his unorthodox view of Christian mission, he tries to proclaim God's message of love. Initially, he gives offence with these pronouncements, but Daniel's appeals for forgiveness and against double standards gradually start bearing fruit – until the Curia comes and takes the fake priest back to juvenile prison. The new film by Jan Komasa is impressive for the acting performance by the lead actor Bartosz Bielenia and a psychologically sophisticated dramaturgy with many twists and turns. Poland's submission for the 2020 “Foreign Oscar” sends a message of hope for a better tomorrow. KM