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A
BAR AT THE VICTORIA STATION
6/10
Bar
na Victorii : Poland 2003 : Leszek DAWID : 56 mins
- "I
saw the recession 'round Victoria Station" - The Fall, 'Fit and
Working Again' (1981)
- Film exists
in 56-minute form and in a longer feature-length (75m? 80m?) version.
By all accounts the shorter version is best. The longer one pads out
the existing footage. It's already quite "paddy" and repetitive.
- Piotrek
and Marek. No surnames given. Both late 20s, perhaps early 30s. Documentary
follows them from Poland to the UK where they search for work. Unsuccessfully.
This is presumably 2003, before Poland joined the EU. No voice-over
to fill us in on the background. And our heroes aren't exactly an analytical
pair: bulky, shaven-headed, energetic, ambitious Piotrek, who could
probably get work as a bouncer; wiry hangdog Marek a less obvious asset
to the labour market, unless the UK suddenly develops a need for Alex
Cox lookalikes.
- In the
six months following EU enlargement on 1st May 2004 just over 90,000
ex-Warsaw Pact people signed up to the UK government's 'migrant worker
registration' scheme. Of these, 48,000 (nearly 60%) were Polish. Facts
like these might be useful in the film, but this is "fly on the
wall" stuff and at no point do the film-makers make their presence
felt, nor are they acknowledged by Marek, Piotrek or anyone the lads
encounter. Silent observation.
- Human faces
behind the statistics. Not an untypical pair, one suspects - though
most don't have a camera crew tagging along with them. Surely this alters
the story somewhat? Are some of these scenes staged (or rather re-staged)
for "our" benefit? Slight fakey air pervades the material.
Nagging question-marks.
- Amiably
low-key, rough-edged, hand-held DV.
- Polish
'network' exists in London (of debatable use!). Notices up in Polish-language.
The pair encounter an old soldier who's lived in London since the war.
He makes no reference to the existence of the camera-crew. Staged?
- Shortage
of plumbers in UK, now that Blair wants half of all school leavers to
go to university. Poles filling the gaps.
- Except
this two don't seem to have any particular skills... "I'll do anything,"
says Piotrek. In Polish. Their English is skimpy to non-existent. Typical
of their inadequate planning. Language-barrier: humour of their struggles
to translate.
- Returning
home not an option for energised lunk and resigned sad-sack doofus.
How easy it might be for those in similar positions to drift into criminality,
if sufficiently desperate.
- Not much
of an advert for London. Succession of dusty phone-boxes (immigrants
keep them going - everyone else uses mobiles now) in obscure corners
of town.
- Film ends
with the pair jobless, prospects dim, splitting up - Piotrek staying,
Marek returning. Then a title-card informs us that they both did get
work in the end. This not shown.
- EC membership
means US-friendly Poland will presumably see its economy improve. Paradox:
increased freedom of movement (and getting to and entering UK isn't
a problem for P+M), but there should be less reason to move in future.
Indeed, traffic should ideally be two-way. Ten years down the line:
update on Piotrek and Marek, juxtaposed with fate of "Pete"
and "Mark", two British lads seeking their fortune in Poland.
A Bar at Warsaw Central. Or maybe Do zobaczenia, pet.
6th December,
2004
[seen 12th November : Kino Dvor, Ljubljana, Slovenia : public show : Ljubljana
International Film Festival]
For more films
from the Ljubljana International Film Festival click
here
by Neil
Young
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