Directed by Piotr Adamski
Written by Piotr Adamski, Michal Grochowiak
Starring Maja Pankiewicz, Paulina Krzyzanska, Marcin Czarnik
Runtime: 78 minutes
Available digitally from Brooklyn Academy of Music’s New Polish Cinema Series

by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

Eastern, screening as part of BAM’s Kino Polska: New Polish Cinema series, is for fans of the Greek Weird Wave films (e.g., Dogtooth) in that it is set in a dystopian world where the rules of play slowly come into focus. This intriguing film, directed and cowritten by Piotr Adamski (his feature debut), recounts a blood feud between two families, the Nowaks and the Kowalskis.

Young Klara Kowalska (Paulina Krzyzanska) is first seen chasing the Nowak’s son through the forest where she shoots him dead. The crime is payback for family honor, and it prompts Ewa (Maja Pankiewicz) to hunt down Klara to exact revenge. But first there is a strange funeral ritual and a scene where Klara’s mother is asked about “buying out” her daughter’s blood, which is part of the patriarchal code. 

Two scenes reveal the parental dynamics at play: Klara’s mother forbids her daughter to go outside (lest she be killed), and Ewa’s crippled father Nowak (Marcin Czarnik, of Son of Saul, Sunset) tries to assert his authority. But as Nowak’s trees are chopped down—in a scene that is freighted with symbolism—it soon becomes clear that Ewa and Klara, the female children of the families, are going to be the ones to break this cycle of violence.

Eastern contains very little dialogue, and the film is shot in an austere, minimalist style that creates a nifty atmosphere of unease. Adamski sets the action within a gated community, emphasizing both privilege and decay. (Fun Fact: Never Gonna Snow Again, another strong film screening at Kino Polska, is also set in a gated community and has surrealistic quality to it).

But this drama, which can be initially inscrutable, gets thrilling as Klara, who has snuck out one night, finds herself being hunted by Ewa. Klara hides in a nearby safari park, and Adamski generates some real tension in this sequence—and not just because of the large, noisy animals may be giving away the location of the hunter and the prey. 

Viewers will be conflicted about who to root for—Klara, a killer, or Ewa, who is seeking revenge. It may be a spoiler to disclosed that Eastern shrewdly has Ewa spare Klara. She takes her to a cabin where they devise a plan to kidnap a young boy, Bruno (Bruno Tomczyk), and collect a ransom that will allow Klara’s family to pay the money required to maintain the code of honor. Of course, their plan hits a snag.

Adamski’s film is slight—it clocks in at 78 minutes—and it requires viewers to be patient as the story unfolds. But the result is mostly satisfying as Eastern introduces some interesting narrative wrinkles. The film may focus more on mood than emotion, but by the film’s end, viewers will hope the characters settle their differences.

Both Krzyzanska and Pankiewicz are terrific in their leading roles. A scene where Klara shoots a gun and tells its owner he needs a better weapon, is charming because Krzyzanska slyly smiles as she is appreciated for her knowledge. Likewise, Pankiewicz is captivating, especially when she negotiates with Bruno’s father. 

The title Eastern is certainly a play on the “Western,” and Adamski’s film is a curious riff on the genre. It may be offbeat, but it is compelling right up to its corker of an ending.