arts & entertainment
Aftermath
A thriller based on true events.
Michael Fox
Special to the Jewish News
W
ladyslaw Pasikowski's extraor-
dinary Aftermath is a rare,
delicious example of a film-
maker fearlessly exposing a grievous chap-
ter in his or her country's history. You can
well imagine that everyone prefers that the
secret, and the amoral failings of a prior
generation, remain buried, but one strong
soul has chosen to invite the skeletons out
of the closet.
The Polish director's masterstroke is to
wrap his harrowing expose of World War
II crimes and contemporary cover-ups
inside the onionskin layers of a seduc-
tive thriller. A slowly unfolding mystery
that grows steadily darker, Aftermath is
crackerjack entertainment capped with an
unforgettable gut-punch.
German filmmakers have examined
the Third Reich and the Holocaust since
the early '50s, confronting every aspect of
the Nazis' undeniable guilt. Polish direc-
tors, however, have largely steered clear
of the period, with the notable (and con-
troversial) exceptions of Andrzej Wajda's
wrenching Korczak (1990) and Agnieszka
Holland's powerful In Darkness (2001).
Their dilemma is that the Poles, to this
day, largely deny the accusation that they
participated with the Nazis in the murder
of Jews. (Or that they opportunistically
used the invasion and the war as a cover
for eliminating Jews.)
Aftermath shines a bright light on the
dark canard of Polish innocence — literal-
ly, in a middle-of-the-night climax — and
the revelation could not be more shocking.
"It is a difficult and complex subject:'
Pasikowski explained in an interview
with Variety last year, "and one that runs
against the Polish image of the country as
being both a heroic fighter against Nazism
and a victim, which is also true
Aftermath begins with the return of the
prodigal son to the village of his childhood
after many years in America. Although the
surroundings and the people are familiar,
Jozef (Maciej Stuhr) sees them through an
outsider's eyes. It's a clever way of setting
the scene, for we immediately identify
with Jozef's point of view.
As attractive and charismatic as Jozef
is, though, we're put off by his casual,
anti-Semitic putdowns of people he works
with (or for) in Chicago. It's another canny
move by Pasikowski, for it limits our iden-
tification and comfort level with the main
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character.
The younger brother,
Franciszek (Ireneusz
Czop), has been
running the family
farm since Jozef left.
Jozef's arrival is for-
tuitous, however, for
Franciszek's placid,
small-town routine
has been disrupted by
a serious yet initially
A scene from Aftermath
indefinable threat.
Actually, we've felt a
sense of foreboding since Jozef got off the
exploiting or trivializing it. At the same
plane. The moment he set foot on the road time, it somehow also manages to inte-
leading to the farm, an unseen entity—
grate an otherworldly dimension into a
friend or foe?—made its presence felt.
wholly realistic story.
It would be wrong to reveal any more
Above all, the film takes on Poland's
of the plot and deprive the viewer of the
World War II-era history and its ongoing
pleasure of Pasikowski's carefully thought-
silence with intelligence, style and — at
out structure. Aftermath is the kind of film the crucial juncture — unflinching cour-
where every line of dialogue and every
age. Aftermath is a movie to be savored,
camera movement have a purpose, even if
admired and celebrated.
we only realize it after the fact.
Ambitious, complex, shocking and
Aftermath screens at 8 p.m. Sunday,
wholly satisfying (admittedly, in a dis-
April 28, at the Berman Center in
turbing way), Aftermath is a beautifully
West Bloomfield, followed by a dis-
executed example of a film that draws
cussion with Temple Israel clergy.
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