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Palimpsest

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Marek is a police inspector on the verge of a mental breakdown, and he is trying to solve a complicated case while attempting to discern illusion from reality.

Critics Reviews

View All (2) Critics Reviews
Leslie Felperin Variety Palimpsest amounts to rather less than the sum of its parts. Sep 22, 2006 Full Review John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter Polish take on generic crime material is dull, except for a self-parodic soundtrack. Sep 13, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (6) audience reviews
Audience Member I enjoyed the stylish look of this film, but honestly didn't get a whole lot out of the plot itself. Worth a casual look for the visuals, but nothing I will come back to. Cable viewing? Boring afternoon? Sure, why not. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member A film should not be inspired by David Lynch if a story actually... not David Lynch's. Ok, that's too harsh, but common. It's not good, I can't give it any more than that. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member A step up for director Konrad Niewolski. Maybe not the most original plot nowadays, but the atmosphere and intensity are very real. Great cinematographer Arkadiusz Tomiak is fond of filtering the images through tinded lenses, and often to great effect. This one is sickly yellow. Very appropriate. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Decent movie almost full-length, however I was disappointed (if not cheated) by it's climax. It would have been worse only if explained by main hero's bad dream. And such a waste of (good) actors. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Brings Lynch works into mind. Still, however technically great it may be, it's not half as deep or witty as it thinks it is, and anybody expecting a brilliant solution to such an elaborated riddle will be seriously disappointed. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member [img]http://riverrunfilm.com/images/film_images/PALIMPSEST_small.jpg[/img] [b]PALIMPSEST[/b] [b]Directed by [/b]Konrad Niewolski [b]Stars [/b]Andrzej Chyra, Magdalena Cielecka, Robert Gonera, Tomasz Sapryk [b]Not Rated[/b] [i]In Polish w/English subtitles[/i] I had the privilege of attending the world premiere of [i]Palimpsest [/i]at the RiverRun International Film Festival back in April, with a question and answer session with director Konrad Niewolski. It has since debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, but has yet to pick up an American distributer. And I can't help but wonder if it ever will. It's an intriguing film about a police inspector doggedly pursuing his partner's killer. However, his psychological state is dangerously wavering, and the line between fantasy and reality is beginning to blur. Interesting premise, told in an overpoweringly grim fashion that is original and yet, somehow derivative at the same time, shot with a grainy look that resembles other films such as [i]Saw [/i]and [i]The Ring[/i], with dashes of Alfred Hitchcock's [i]Vertigo [/i]and Christopher Nolan's [i]Memento, [/i]and an ending that is lifted almost directly from the classic German horror film [i]The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. [/i] As Niewolski said in his interview following the screening, it is meant to be like watching a dream. And indeed it is. But it is an almost unbearbly clausterphobic one with little character development. It seems more like the outline of a much better film. And from a director with such obvious talent, I can't help but wonder how much better this could have been. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Palimpsest

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Marek is a police inspector on the verge of a mental breakdown, and he is trying to solve a complicated case while attempting to discern illusion from reality.
Director
Konrad Niewolski
Producer
Juliusz Machulski
Screenwriter
Igor Brejdygant
Production Co
Studio Filmowe Zebra, Canal+ Polska, Telewizja Polska S.A. Agencja Filmowa
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Polish
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 10, 2009
Runtime
1h 25m