WINTERTOCHTER

What an unforgettable Christmas: twelve-year-old Kattaka learns that her biological father is a Russian sailor whose ship is currently anchored at the Polish port of Szczecin. Frustrated by constantly being lied to, she sets off at the first available opportunity, accompanied by her somewhat taciturn and grumpy seventy-five-year-old neighbour Lene. With her old “Barkas” the unlikely couple leave for pastures new, as what was intended as a day trip evolves into a journey across the whole of Poland. Whilst the van rattles and fights its way across icy landscapes, varying emotions break forth. Quickly it becomes clear that it is not only Kattaka who has a sense of longing, but also the Masuria-born Lene. “I no longer have any idea where home is” says Kattaka wearily, disappointed with her parents. “Neither do I” responds Lene; thus the two sense that they have more in common than they initially sensed. The emotional journey through the past takes them, via the present, to the middle of a promising future. A coming of age roadmovie on the courage that it occasionally takes to face life.

The director of this German-Polish co-production manages to successfully implement the award-winning script about friendship beyond generational differences and national borders, at the same time playfully walking the tightrope between issues such as displacement, forgiveness and mutual prejudice. Ultimately Poland proves to be a treasured discovery not only for Kattaka.