The Amateurs / Amatorzy
Poland 2020
Directed by Iwona Siekierzyńska, drama, comedy, 95 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Iwona Siekierzyńska, Barbara Fronc
With Wojciech Solarz, Roma Gąsiorowska, Mariusz Bonaszewski, Anna Dymna, Małgorzata Zajączkowska, Krzysztof Kowalewski, Marzena Gajewska, Anna Kujawska, Renata Klinkosz
The film follows a theatre group made up of intellectually disabled people passionate about acting, led by the charismatic Krzysiek whose disabled sister is one of the main actresses in the ensemble. The group wins a prize and gets an opportunity to stage a play in a real theatre alongside professional actors. However, things get complicated when the director of the theatre sets some conditions that are difficult to comply with. And could they really manage to adapt and perform Shakespeare’s Hamlet?
This heart-warming movie with remarkable performances by a mostly amateur cast composed to a large extent of people with Down syndrome touches on the questions of the acceptance of disabled people in society, and the current state of the Polish cultural industry.