A Year of the Quiet Sun

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dave s Set in Poland in the aftermath of WWII, Norman (Scott Wilson), an American soldier, while investigating the whereabouts of a mass grave of American airmen, meets Emilia (Maja Komorowska), a young woman scarred by the death of her husband during the war and the burden of taking care of her sickly mother. Over time, a bond develops between the two and provides hope in an environment seemingly devoid of anything resembling hope. A Year of the Quiet Sun is not a romance in any traditional sense as the movie is relentlessly grim, filled with barren landscapes, rooms draped in shadows, and streets filled with squalor. From the opening scene, the film establishes a tangible sense of dread, thanks in large part to the atmospheric cinematography, detailed sets and the somber performance by Komorowska, but the film is hindered to a large degree by the wooden performance of Wilson, who seems to suck the life out of every scene he's in. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Deeply human, with acute observation, wry humor, and a startling finale. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member http://filmreviewsnsuch.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-year-of-quiet-sun.html Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Moody low budget tragic romance tales that seeps into you very powerfully. It is postwar Poland. An american soldier with PTSD due to being tortured while a P.O.W under the Nazis is searching for a woman with a big heart. Emilia seems ordinary. She is not good looking, has aged rapidly because of the war so that she seems middle-aged despite being a young woman, lives in destitute poverty, and is trying to take are of her sickly mom. But none of this matters to Norman the soldier who instantly falls for her even though he doesn't know a word of Polish and she doesn't know a word of English. They communicate through translators and Emilia is very reluctant a first to get involved with him. To exacerbate matters a gang of desperate thugs break in and steal what little Emilia and her mom has. The Ultra conservative and corrupt Polish authorities put up obstacles against Emilia leaving Poland due to her being married even though it's obvious her soldier husband has perished in the war. However, they can be paid off through bribes. It turns out Emilia's mom has a hidden stash of money but she is told the price has gone up so she can only buy the freedom of her daughter not herself. Tragically, she begins to will her own death. She needs medicine, Emilia gets it for her but she insists on taking her own meds. She gets rid of the meds without taking them and soon dies. However, Emilia is under the mistaken assumption her mother has bribed the authorities for 2 exit visas, when in fact it is only for one. So, she offers one of them to her neighbor. A woman who has been ostracized for having been a whore in the Nazi death camp to SS officers. But that was the only way she could have survived the death camp. She yearns to start a new life for herself in America or in western Europe where no one knows her. In addition she has been a good friend to Emilia and has even nursed Emilia's mom at times. So the day comes when Norman expects Emilia in West Berlin, but instead of Emilia , the former prostitute Stella arrives, proving that Emilia had a huge heart after all. She sacrifices herself for her friend. Norman never sees her again. His dream was to take her to his farm in Wyoming. The film has a mystical powerful ending. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member I've heard of it only because I saw it was listed down as one of Roger Ebert's "Great Movies", and now I see exactly why did he choose to list it down under that category. Full review at filmbroadcaster.weebly.com Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the things I dearly love about Roger Ebert's Great Movies list is his knowledge of such a huge breadth and depth of films and filmmakers I had never heard of before I started watching the movies on the List. The Year of the Quiet Sun by Krzysztof Zanussi definitely falls under the category of small films, to the point where I had a hard time finding it on Rotten Tomatoes (where it has 7 reviews, probably because it won Venice). Luckily, despite it's relative obscurity, it is available on Amazon Prime for Streaming, and I was able to watch it. It's kind of a crappy Kino print, but it was worth the effort because the story is more important than visual mastery here. This is a story of a nation and a people destroyed, living in burned out buildings, being victimized by the newly oppressive government, by criminals, and by crushing poverty, who still believe in happiness, even if it is for others and not themselves. If you have Prime, check out this quiet little gem. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Year of the Quiet Sun

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