Directed by Marcin Wrona
Poland/Israel | Polish/Yiddish/English w/ English subtitles | Fiction | 2015 | 94 min
Film Source: The Orchard
Sponsor: Barbara McGrew
Showtime: Saturday, October 22 | 8:45 p.m. | FH
Awards: Best Picture – Austin Fantastic Fest
Weddings traditionally hold deep significance in Polish culture. The wedding in Demon is no exception: lavish preparations and seemingly endless imbibing of vodka fill the screen in gargantuan and comic spectacle. But when the groom becomes possessed by an unquiet spirit, things go terribly wrong. The spirit in this maximalist and disturbing film is a reincarnation of the dybbuk, a traditional Jewish fable of a soul who takes possession of the body of its love object. In Demon, though, it is a soul murdered in the Holocaust that is bogged down in the blood-soaked soil of Poland. In recent years Polish cinema has trended toward uncovering secrets from World War II, as those who saw the superb Ida may remember. Here too, bones are uncovered and reveal unexpected truths. The extraordinary power of Demon lies in its fusion of physicality and spirituality. The festivities and what lies beneath them will keep you glued to the screen. ~OY
Also showing: Monday, October 24 | 4:15 p.m. | BB