Hands Up!(Rece do góry)

Revived after 14 years of censorship, Skolimowski’s final film in his Andrzej Leszczyc trilogy is re-edited with a prologue in 1981, evoking a surreal journey of rumination that juxtaposes the tumultuous past with the turbulent present. The contemporary part takes place when five close friends, after an alumni reunion, board a freight train where they start reminiscing about their bygones. Playing out like an absurdist theatre, this surreal experimental film is a feast of sound and image that creates a haunting sketch of a generation disenchanted with the Stalinist brand of communism, embracing a dual metaphor of celebration and surrender with ‘hands up’.

Polish Film Festival: Critics Award