Smoke (2007)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I'm writing a short review here because the director asked me to do so. As a film lover and fellow filmmaker, I obliged. Dym, is a short film, roughly 7 minutes in length, that tries to provoke the viewer with stark images and polarizing subjects. For that, mission accomplished. The short has no real story to follow, and by the end of it, I didn't mind. I found myself wondering what image was the director going to throw at me next. No dialogue is spoken and there is no narrative that one can follow. The film has a bit of a David Lynch vibe to it. Every shot is well framed and shows talent. I can see that the director, with a narrative script, would be able to handle himself quite well.Wrapping up, the short is something that doesn't really NEED to be seen, but for those looking for a good short to compare and contrast the way of filming, lighting, and especially editing an experimental film, they can look towards this one.

Even though Grzegorz Cisiecki's 'Dym' is only 8 minutes long, it felt longer to me (in a good way). Many shorts run the risk of appearing rushed but here I felt as though I was watching a feature film. 'Dym' is created using a tapestry of images, sounds and music and each shot absorbed my attention. The shots are well-framed. At first glance the images may look as though they have nothing to do with one another yet they're anything but random. Of course, 'Dym' is open to interpretation and different conclusions are expected to be drawn.'Dym' has a sophisticated look. Cisiecki's execution is stylistic. His images, that are colourful, vivid, mysterious, haunting, erotic, metaphorical and a bit psychedelic in nature create a surrealistic atmosphere. The cinematography, editing, lighting, minimalistic score and sound effects are solid. The actors convey a lot with minimal expressions using body language gestures and facial expressions. Their reactions appear spontaneous and natural on screen.'Dym' is a well crafted little film. I wish it was longer for even as 8 minutes is too little to experience something like this. Grzegorz Cisiecki shows a lot of promise as a director. I, for one, would be certainly interested in his next ventures.

At the request of Grzegorz Cisiecki, the director of this piece, I watched Smoke and I found myself in for a pleasant surprise. Billed as a story of 'a person who becomes the captive of a surrealistic madness,' what Smoke lacks in narrative structure, it makes up for with haunting imagery and superb use of sound that serves to effectively chart the progress of its subject, protagonist or what have you as he falls into the eerie, dreamlike sleep that reaches its loud peak with a sudden cut to the credits by the end of its short, seven minute run.Lacking in any sort of dialog, the film employs the use of professional actors who have the right idea as to how to convey themselves in a way that makes sense in a film that lacks logic. A surrealistic piece of art, Smoke contains threads reminiscent of the style of such acclaimed talents as Lynch and Fellini (a definite nod to its great atmosphere) while retaining a sense of confidence necessary to tackle something with this level of ambition.It is clear that Cisiecki is a non-professional. His work here though, is promising, and an interesting experiment even if the technical aspects outshine any sort of plot. The use of imagery and music is fine, but it is the editing and cinematography that is the film's true mark—this is where Cisiecki is spot-on. The strength of the director's vision is apparent in the great quality of the production. While it can be said that many filmmakers who specialise in imagery and sound are typically lacking in the storytelling area, I think that it is safe to say that Cisiecki can create something more than interesting with a good writer at his side, and that is something I definitely look forward to.

A young man with a sensitive face muses on his girlfriend. Images of menace, jealousy, and intoxication flow through a short film that's a glittering series of handsome surreal pastiches that suggest Lynch, Fellini, Peter Greenaway, and others and is set off by a striking, if, in the manner of such shorts, somewhat overwrought sound design. The filmmaker, Grzegorz Cisiecki, is ambitious and talented. Now he needs a writer -- or a stronger narrative structure; though masters of imagery and sound are frequently a bit lacking in that area. As has been remarked by others here, this is more a calling card than anything else. it's an impressive calling card, though.