TATA

2022 / 115 min/ color

The protagonist of Anna Maliszewska’s debut feature is Michał (played by Eryk Lubos), a truck driver and single father with a daughter named Miśka. Long hours behind the wheel, loneliness and the instability of life on the road are his daily bread. While he’s away, his Ukrainian neighbor looks after Miśka. When the nanny suddenly dies, Michał is faced with a difficult decision and a daunting challenge, particularly since the woman’s granddaughter Lenka and Miśka have been pretty much inseparable. In desperation, he decides to take the girls with him on the road. A trip with these unexpected travelling companions finally allows him to stop running from his demons and discover what really matters in life. Dad is one part heartwarming family film and one part offbeat road movie. There’s plenty of room for humor, but also for emotion. Maliszewska touches sensitively on issues of responsible parenthood, precocious coming of age, and sisterhood, as well as Polish-Ukrainian relations. Eryk Lubos’ performance as a man growing into fatherhood is remarkable, as are Klaudia Kurak and Polina Gromova, who play the two girls.

• Warsaw Film Festival – Ecumenical Jury Prize