Day of the Wacko (2002)
It is a bitter story about a middle-aged man, who hates his life and other people, including himself. Adam Miauczynski, the character known from director Marek Koterski's previous films, is a 44 year-old teacher, who reads poetry during school lessons and later goes home swearing and calling his neighbours' names. The worst pain for him is the next 5 minutes of living. He doesn't accept himself and even everyday contacts with others cause his aggression. Though constantly dreaming of a romantic love, he is not bold enough to make his dreams come true. The desperate Miauczynski personalizes our own fears and obsessions, which have become so visible recently.
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Nice effects though.
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Best movie ever!
Blistering performances.
I've seen this movie about three-four times over the years on different occasion and I find it just more and more unpleasant. The movie tries to be a commentary about Poland but sadly when all of you're commentary focuses only on negatives it come out more as a propaganda then a satire. It's just feels way to manipulative for me. Yes Polish society have problems but the way movie hammers in the messages is just painful to watch. To make it worse - it's just not that funny. Most observations are pretty obvious so there is nothing really new.Another problem is the main hero which I had hard time to relate to. Much like the movie he only focuses on negative things in his life which once again makes him not very sympathetic character. Both the hero and the script writer comes out as whinny and people who just can't enjoy life for a single moment and if your message is that all people in Poland are this way I can't agree or give the movie any respect. It lost me early on and 2-3 funny moments aren't enough to win me back especially is most of so called is just vulgar...
This movie offers nothing to its audience. The user comments on here paint an overwhelmingly positive picture of this film, but it is worthless. "Day of the Wacko" lacks intelligences and puts no faith in the intelligence of the viewer. Every character in this movie is an exaggerated caricature, especially the main character. This is supposed to be a character study of Adam and his dysfunctions, but there is absolutely nothing to latch onto. His problems are centered on the fact that he has OCD and has to carefully measure his every move, but instead of a detailed, subtle examination of a complex person, we're given a stereotype that falls somewhere between Psych 101 and a cartoon. If this wasn't bad enough, the audience is further insulted by the fact that nearly every moment of this film is filled with Adam's narration that explains his motivations for everything in the most simplified terms. As a novel, the narration would lack subtlety and depth; as a film technique, it's unforgivable. As for the supposed humor, none of it works. Half of the jokes come from awkward and unnecessary vulgarity (and mind you, my favorite director is John Waters), and the other half are intended to stem from the character, only there is no actual character so there are no actual jokes. All the exchanges between Adam and the people he meet are forced and unrealistic. Don't look to this film for insight, entertainment, or social commentary. If you want a shocking satire on modern angst, check out something like Happiness or Man Bites Dog instead.
Even though I've lived in Poland for over a year now, I generally don't watch many Polish movies, especially newer ones, which I've found to be very derivative of American and British films. This movie however is a true gem. A rare film that makes you take stock of your own choices in life. The movie focuses on a day (though actually it has to be more than one day) in the life of Adas, a 49 year old high school teacher from Warsaw who's first words to us are "I'm afraid of waking up", and we soon learn thats not all he's afraid of. Adas is deeply dissatisfied with every aspect of his life. From his noisy neighbors, to his broken family, to the Polish government, to his own inability to climb out of his personal hell. Told mostly through narration voice-over which clues us in to Adas's thought process, the film explores the turmoil of middle age with an honesty and poignancy rare in film. While certainly hilarious in moments, this movie serves up an equal (or greater) amount of melancholy as well, balancing the two aspect, delicately. As Adas passes from compulsion to depression, to denial, to rage, we learn more about him, and come to empathize with him. The most striking feature of this movie for me, was the universality of Adas, and the relate-ability to him. Yes he is Polish, with some uniquely Polish complaints and problems, but he could easily be any middle aged man in any western society. While he's a wacko in his own way, what the movie says is, "aren't we all?", "aren't we all this man in some way?" This movie did for me, what hardly any movies do anymore; it made me think and reflect about my own life and my own choices, and any movie that can do that, deserves praise in my book.
Some people in Poland love this movie. Some quotations, especially containing dirty words , are used as the "signs of initiation" among the "Dzien Swira" lovers. But for me this movie (like all Koterski's films) is sick and disgusting. Koterski's "hero" is disenchanted polish teacher, divorced and compulsive. The way in which he expresses his anger is sh***ing on the lawn, crying "kurwa mac, ja pierdole" or "pojebalo was" (polish idioms with high concentration of profanity) and desperately trying to fit his d**k in proper trouser leg. Gimme a break !!!!!PS- and in addition: It's boring !!!!