I often see the debut films of the great filmmakers and I notice signs and qualities that indicate the talent that will develop in a wonderful career. ‘Supernova‘, the film written and directed in 2019 by Polish filmmaker Bartosz Kruhlik is not only a remarkable debut in writing and film quality. It’s also half of a very good movie, but a movie that ends abruptly and surprisingly. I almost had the feeling that the screening stopped half way. Its duration (74 minutes) is on the border between medium and long, certainly a few tens of minutes shorter than the ‘standard’ length of today’s movies. Were there any production or financing problems? I don’t know, but on the other hand, Kruhlik being the only screenwriter, the decision regarding the duration and the narrative structure may have belonged entirely to him. We may have to wait for his future films to understand if this was a production accident, a style decision or a long-term trend. In any case, I will try to follow a career that promises much.
The film begins with a long frame, shot with the camera on the shoulder. The scene takes place on a road in a village somewhere in a remote corner of Poland. We witness a separation, a woman with two small children leaves home followed by her visibly drunk husband (Marcin Zarzeczny), who at one point falls into a ditch. We hear a terrible noise. There was a serious traffic accident. The road is blocked, the police appear, one of the cops (Marek Braun) seems to know the victims. The accident was caused by the driver of an Audi, a guy in a suit (Marcin Hycnar) visibly belonging to another world, at least from a social point of view. The guilty driver first flees the scene of the accident, then returns, not before calling for help a troupe of lawyers and government officials. Ambulances, firefighters, other police officers appear, including the head of the local police, a man on the verge of his retirement. The crowd also gathers, more and more agitated, the victims are recognized, people demand accountability, they are afraid of covering up of the case, as it seems to happen often also in Poland when those responsible belong to the upper classes. From a family quarrel, the story evolves and combines police investigation, social drama, political conflict between rich and poor Poland, and a dose of fantasy. They all line up and develop logically, we are dealing with the well-directed construction of a crescendo, and then … the film ends.
70 of the 74 minutes the film manages to concentrate and expose an entire social and human universe . Director and screenwriter Bartosz Kruhlik manages to create characters that develop in the time dedicated to them on screen, from routine to shock, revolt and action. Each of the characters is believable and convincing, and the acting performances are excellent. In the last four minutes, the story receives a twist not exactly related to what had happened until then, which tries to give a different meaning to what we have seen before. This ending did not convince me. Of course, I will not reveal it. I recommend watching ‘Supernova‘, there are many good reasons for cinephile satisfaction anyway, and maybe other viewers will find more logic and interest in the ending than me. Bartosz Kruhlik‘s is, however, a career to follow.