KILL IT AND LEAVE THIS TOWN
Poland, 2020, 88′, animated film
A chilling journey into his own and his country’s past, evoking the ghosts of people and places, a therapeutic tale of family, and a touching tribute to friendship. Mariusz Wilczynski’s first full-length feature film, 14 years in the making, was born out of a need for understanding, forgiveness, and love. The film resurrects childhood with all its torments and delights and recalls those who have passed away to give them new life. The film is immersed in details, colors, dialogues, sounds, situations, and voices recalled from memory. ‘Kill it…” becomes a chronicle of communist Poland’s childhood and youth experience in the times of transformation, a story about a changing Poland, about dullness unexpectedly gaining momentum. One of the main characters of the film is the music: phenomenal, extremely contemporary-sounding songs by Tadeusz Nalepa and the band Breakout give the animation a bluesy, unhurried rhythm. Poetic, surreal, but above all nostalgic and full of empathy for everything that is passing, flawed, and elusive, the film works like a magic spell that has the power to transport us back in time. This journey will be a profoundly moving, intimate experience for any viewer. The film received the Złote Lwy award at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and the Polish Film Award Orzeł 2020 for best film, music, screenplay, and sound.
