>>> Lenin’s Curse (Poland)
„Lenin’s Curse” is a combination of a road movie and a comedy. The main characters are two young men – Vlodek, a Pole born in Kazakhstan and Shevket, a Tatar living in Crimea. Vlodek wants to see the world and Shevket – to provide a better life for his family.
Vlodek comes to Jalta and meets sailors. Robbed of money, with a hangover, he hardly escapes from dogs. He is rescued by Shevket. Vlodek develops a plan how to earn money. At night they steal a statue of Lenin. Selling the bronze from the statue of the leader of revolution is nevertheless not as easy as they had initially thought. In order to get rid of their “commodity” they set off for a journey. With Lenin in the boot…
They drive westwards but nobody wants to buy it. In an old black and white Volga-car they come to the Ukrainian–Polish border. On the way to Warsaw they give a lift to Magda. This young liberal Polish woman becomes a bone of contention between them. Rooted deeply into Tatar and Muslim tradition Shevket wants to return to his family. Vlodek gets more and more attracted to the Western world.
Because of their “passenger” they see how people in Europe react on Lenin and they reflect on their own past. In Germany they have trouble selling the statue but this is not their only problem: they also have to escape from many dangers. Young French communists are ready to buy Lenin but… Convinced of a Lenin’s curse they give up. Vlodek stays in Paris and Shevket takes the statue and drives home. He finds an opportunity to sell it in Switzerland. It is supposed to be forged into another statue. However he spots “their” Lenin is heading for a mint. Vlodek hurries to rescue Lenin. Shevket advises to search solution and help from God. They go to the church - the building is empty and holy figures are waiting for a second hand trader.
Both men cross the Swiss-Austrian border. When the border guard asks how many people there are inside, Vlodek pulls out his hand and shows three fingers. In Jalta they visit a priest and offer a gift for the poor parish.
When they open the boot we can see...
Maria Graczyk
Maria Graczyk is a journalist. She graduated in international trade from the University of Economics in Poznań and in journalism from the Warsaw University. For many years she worked as a foreign editor with the weekly magazine "Wprost" - striving to spend more time abroad than in the office. She made two documentary films for TV. Now she is editor-in-chief of an European portal (www.euractiv.pl).
Her dream of traveling around the world came true, now she tries to fulfil her second one - traveling in the world of imagination. "Lenin's curse" is her first script. It was consulted by the Polish-Swiss director Greg Zglinski and supported by The Polish Film Institute (PISF).
