Review by Cameron Maitland

Polish filmmaking has always been praised for having a unique take on story and emotion. It is no wonder that director Jerzy Skolimowski's Four Nights with Anna shows a side of love and obsession that has never before been tackled by conventional filmmaking.

The story follows a hospital worker, Okrasa, and his love for the girl across the field, Anna. We see him follow her and spy on her - eventually breaking into her house multiple times - but the point of the film is not what he does as much as why he does what he does and the consequences his actions.

The strength of the film is its ability to play with the audience's perceptions. When we are first introduced to Okrasa, he is buying an axe, haunting music playing in the background, and looking at a severed hand, we assume him to be nothing more than a slasher movie villain. But, as the film slowly unfolds, we find Okrasa's place in the world to be something quite unique and as his past, revealed in flashbacks, gives the audience insight which shames their original perceptions. All of this slow unfolding creates great tension within an audience, who faces a man doing despicable things for somewhat altruistic reasons and makes them question how they feel about his obsession.

The film is short but it shows a mastery of pacing in its revelatory information in slow, silent shots. Four Nights with Anna is a unique and well-crafted film that is sure to stay with its audiences long after it ends.

Four Nights with Anna
Jerzy Skolimowski | France/Poland | 2008 | 87min

Thur. Oct. 9 | 6:40pm | Empire Granville Theatre 3
Fri. Oct. 10 | 11:00am | Empire Granville Theatre 4