My Nikifor | Review

Polish film offers canvas full of charm.

People may call themselves an artist – but as we all know, artistic talent is not a given. You’ve got to work at it, and sometimes it takes years of perseverance to say you accomplished something. This small gem of a film entitled My Nikifor (MOJ NIKIFOR) is a Polish number by writer/director Krzysztof Krauze who doesn’t do much speculation on how the artist was able to create in upwards of 40 thousand pieces of artwork, but what he nails down with precision is the artist’s need and necessity for creation despite factors like age, health and living conditions.

Based in the era where Stalin communism made sure that painting supplies were sparse, this is inspired by the true story of Nikifor Krynicki, a painter who like the Energizer Bunny kept going and going and going. The storyline is simple – one struggling, unfulfilled and unsuccessful painter meets up with a aging one and vicariously begins to live through him. The light drama initially chips away at this relationship with no benefits and plenty of subtle pleasures prevail in this drama. Part of the intrigue is to discover the mystery behind this old man and to admire the artist in him that never dies.

Thankfully, Krauze is less interested in revealing the actual content of sketchings and paintings – (which are beautifully addressed in the final frame of the film in a sort of slideshow of his work), instead, the film shows the antithesis of a Tatie Danielle. While some deadpan moments are included – this is about the pacing, the spiting, the coughing, the frustrations and the disappointments. Performance from well-aged, ear-full-of-hair Krystyna Feldman is the film’s most charming element.

Particularly strong is Krauze’s framing of his two subjects, – there is a good mix of shot set-ups which explore the world of the artist – the moving long shots and establishing shots of the small villages balance well with intimate still interior shots that detail a dry paintbrush, growing ear hair and a pair of bifocals held together by band-aids. My Nikifor is an endearing film which doesn’t try to become a tear-jerker and the results are there with the film collecting plenty of awards at the Karlovy Vary film festival and Polish.

Montreal World Film Festival 2005

Rating 3.5 stars