Three generations of sons with resentments for their fathers travel together by land to pick up the matriarch who just separated from the patriarch. Coming from three separate households, the son plans to pick up his mother so she could take care of the aging patriarch of the family and manage this family crisis.
The old man, Wlodzi a famous clarinet musician, Pawel, a pianist of a grand orchestra in Berlin and Maciek, his student son staying with his mother in London, a pop music lover vent out their anger and resentment towards each other in the car, in homes, at the camp, outdoors. Every word uttered by one starts a tirade of accusations.
The grandfather, son and grandson uncomfortably control each other wanting to change behaviors and values at every opportunity. Not even their commonality for love of music but of different genre could bind them together.
Slowly though, through the unfolding of small moments together, the resentments towards each dissolve.
The son Pawel, who spotted his mother in the company of her new lover dropped his intention to bring her back to Wlodzi as he sensed his mother accorded with affection and control, the attention all of the two generations of males did not demonstrate with each other during their growing up days. Pawel kept this feeling to himself.
The old bicycle stored at Wlodzi’s storage was given to his son given with a warning that once he falls from it, he would take away the bike from him. Towards the end of the journey when slowly the three have started to accept each other’s being’s, Wlodzi gives the bicycle to young grandson Maciek which he brought with him back to London.
Movie closes with Pawel playing the piano with the orchestra in Berlin, interpreting a sad piece passionately inspired perhaps by the turn of events with Wlodzi watching his son’s performance on TV.
Even with all the differences, each one, regardless of their imperfections were reared to stand on their own and not to fall down as symbolized by the small bicycle passed on to Maciek who towards the end confessed that he is expecting a child from his older Literature teacher.
Grandfather and father no longer resented the confession of the student son.
Best Screenplay, 2012 Polish Film Festival
Discovery of Year (Michał Urbaniak), 2013 Polish Film Awards
https://cinemaworld.asia/movie/my-fathers-bike/
No comments:
Post a Comment