O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization
Synopsis
The world has been ravaged by nuclear war. The planet is frozen and radiation kills anyone or anything that ventures outside of 'The Dome'. Soft is a shepherd for the last remnants of humanity who have gathered together as they await rescue from a mysterious craft known only as 'The Ark.' He wanders among the masses, performing his regular daily tasks; keeping morale from plummeting, wooing prostitutes, squashing rebellions, and sometimes feeding the hungry. But as the true and sinister nature of 'The Dome' comes to light, Soft must ask himself if humanity is worth saving...
Director
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Marek Walczewski
Soft's Superior
Ryszard Kotys
Cellulose Maker
Kalina Jędrusik
Millionaire's Wife
Mariusz Dmochowski
Millionaire
Other Reviews
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It's hard to describe the excitement of discovering this type of abandoned gem. It's like the thrill a character in a fantasy world - I imagine - would get after finding a unique weapon with whom he knows he'll create a bond. Now I can perfectly understand how Bilbo must have felt when he got the Elven short sword. :p
I am a bit of a foreigner to east European cinema. Apart from Russia, I haven't explored much around this territory. But those very few films I've watched from it have impressed me a lot in some aspect, be it the unusual camera tricks or the carefully layered, iron-handly controlled tone and narrative structure. 'O-Bi, O-Ba,' however, tends to take things a little more loosely. That, referring to how well the filmmaker manages to shift between different themes while always being true to the characters and the world they populate.
There is some social commentary here. The film criticizes the social capitalist system with the perfect amount of cynicism, carefully avoiding falling under the tag "propaganda." The delicate humor reminded me of Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove' at times and the bleak, cold depiction of the sci-fi elements - the neon-lit environment and the clothing - shouts 'Blade Runner' vibes - pity that the modest budget limits it from reaching the complex scenery level of Scott's immortal sci-fi-wonder. Regardless, 'O-Bi, O-Ba' makes the most out of its circumstances and concludes in an efficient illustration of a post-apocalyptic world. As a side note: I wish the movie gets a restoration of some sort. Hopefully, Criterion sees it because, apart from giving it the best restore, it'd help it get some much-needed recognition.
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shaban
It's hard to describe the excitement of discovering this type of abandoned gem. It's like the thrill a character in a fantasy world - I imagine - would get after finding a unique weapon with whom he knows he'll create a bond. Now I can perfectly understand how Bilbo must have felt when he got the Elven short sword. :p
I am a bit of a foreigner to east European cinema. Apart from Russia, I haven't explored much around this territory. But those very few films I've watched from it have impressed me a lot in some aspect, be it the unusual camera tricks or the carefully layered, iron-handly controlled tone and narrative structure. 'O-Bi, O-Ba,' however, tends to take things a little more loosely. That, referring to how well the filmmaker manages to shift between different themes while always being true to the characters and the world they populate.
There is some social commentary here. The film criticizes the social capitalist system with the perfect amount of cynicism, carefully avoiding falling under the tag "propaganda." The delicate humor reminded me of Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove' at times and the bleak, cold depiction of the sci-fi elements - the neon-lit environment and the clothing - shouts 'Blade Runner' vibes - pity that the modest budget limits it from reaching the complex scenery level of Scott's immortal sci-fi-wonder. Regardless, 'O-Bi, O-Ba' makes the most out of its circumstances and concludes in an efficient illustration of a post-apocalyptic world. As a side note: I wish the movie gets a restoration of some sort. Hopefully, Criterion sees it because, apart from giving it the best restore, it'd help it get some much-needed recognition.
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shaban
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