TONIA
TONIA
BOOK TICKETS
TONIA
drama, comedy I 2022 I Poland
THURSDAY 14/09/2023 6:45pm
THE BACKLOT PERTH
Original Title: Tonia
Duration: 81 min
Language: Polish with English subtitles
Director: Marcin Bortkiewicz
Cast: Marianne Ame, Adam Bobik,
Małgorzata Zajączkowska
Classification: Exemption (PG recommended)
The long-awaited film from Marcin Bortkiewicz, director of the award-winning and critically acclaimed "Walpurgis Night" (PFF 2016). In the brilliantly played lead role is the director's daughter, Marianna Ame, making her debut on the big screen.
11-year-old Tonia is a really special girl. She’s clever and charming, with a head full of dreams and amazing ideas. Despite the many curveballs that life throws at her, she faces everyday problems with a smile on her face. Since her mother passed away, Tonia lives with her grandmother and her beloved father whose weakness for alcohol constantly lands him in trouble. When he loses his job again, grandma decides to send him away to work on a construction site in Italy for three months. Tonia will do everything in her power to foil this plan.
"Tonia" is a collision of two worlds, the grey reality of a small town and the idealised fantasy world of a child who believes that in life - just like in cinema - everything is possible.
Marcin Bortkiewicz offers a film full of magic. In a seemingly modest story, he conjures up various conventions - there are moments for laughs and moments for more serious reflection. But "Tonia" is not a tearjerker, on the contrary - the film tries to remind us that "what doesn't kill us today will make us stronger tomorrow", and that we ourselves are responsible for our lives. Little Tonia will get to understand this very early. — Rzeczpospolita
"A thematically capacious cinema that winks at the viewer with childlike charm and verve. Light and pleasant, "Tonia" joyfully shows us a colorful world that revolves around fantasy, grandma, and beloved dad. And although the screen is dominated by a charming aura, the director is able to effectively, without warning, wake up from lethargy and hit us with poignant confessions. It's a picture for adults, but told from a child's perspective. A fleeting fairy tale that hits serious tones. — Movieway
MARCIN BORTKIEWICZ
Marcin Bortkiewicz is a film and theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His short documentary “Drawn from Memory” (2011) was shown in the Directors’ Fortnight section in Cannes. His well received debut feature film “Walpurgis Night” (2015) about romance between aging diva and young journalist received an Award for Longest Applause at The Gdynia Film Festival and multiple prizes at Koszalin Film Festival for Young Cinema.
Marcin has also directed many popular TV series for major broadcasters, including TVN, TVP, and more, including BRZYDULA, ECHO SERCA, NA DOBRE I NA ZŁE, and more.
His recent feature, TONIA, is in the middle of the festival run.