O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization

My final Piotr Szulkin feature, and my favourite Piotr Szulkin feature. Wow, this is Szulkin’s magnum opus; a film packed full of satirical symbolism and bleak absurdity, this is the pinnacle of his work and one of the most remarkable dystopian works I’ve seen so far.
The film is set in a post-apocalyptic decaying society that is trapped in a stagnant bunker with no natural light, a real scarcity of food, and a tragic atmosphere of repetition and delusion. The people hope for the sacred ‘Ark’ to come save them, a kind of salvation from the depressing depths of their existence, this hope of the ‘Ark’ is the sole source of any sanity; is the ‘Ark’ even real? Is it just propaganda to keep everyone in order? The ‘Ark’ could just be a mirage, an oasis of life that feeds everyone’s delusions.
The films main character Soft is a man who tries to keep the order of the sad society, he spreads hope of the ‘Ark’ even when he has doubts (and maybe even never believes) about it. This is such an interesting metaphor; Szulkin could be making a stance on the use of propaganda and ‘manufactured truth’ to keep the people happy and ignorant to the reality of life, something quite prevalent in the USSR; Szulkin could also be conveying an idea of how religion manages to control people and influence them in a (maybe negative) way, people mindlessly believe these things just because it’s the only thing to keep them from facing the truth, something quite poignant when it comes to the idea of religion. This idea is also built on with obvious biblical imagery, like the ‘Ark’ or the idea of salvation from the gloomy life the people face. Maybe Szulkin was spinning a positive message on religion and how it brings hope to people even in the most dire circumstances. This is a big reason why I loved this film, it can go so deep while not being too philosophical.
Visually this film is spectacular, the portrayal of the bunker is so effective that it made me feel slightly claustrophobic and uncomfortable with the environment. The whole film is absent of any natural lighting, this gives the film a darker setting but also adds onto the unhealthy atmosphere of decay and deprivation. The post-apocalyptic world is so brilliantly created and really helps seal that idea of a trapped society with no chance at all of survival, super depressing. Those last 10 minutes are visually stunning, such a beautiful contrast to the grim rest of the film. 
This is probably Szulkin’s least absurd film, there are no aliens or clones or wild rituals from another planet, being his ‘least’ absurd film doesn’t mean it’s not bizarre however. There are a lot of very grotesque and strange moments, sometimes with very seedy undertones or just plain grimy vibes. I really love how Szulkin can make such wacky films in such an odd and rather disturbing way and still have them to be really political and very poignant, he’s definitely one of the most underrated auteurs of all time. He’s just superb. 

Also! The radiance blu ray is so magnificent, I’m in need of some more radiance lol. They really did Szulkin justice (I should’ve got the boxset).

My final Piotr Szulkin feature, and my favourite Piotr Szulkin feature. Wow, this is Szulkin’s magnum opus; a film packed full of satirical symbolism and bleak absurdity, this is the pinnacle of his work and one of the most remarkable dystopian works I’ve seen so far.
The film is set in a post-apocalyptic decaying society that is trapped in a stagnant bunker with no natural light, a real scarcity of food, and a tragic atmosphere of repetition and delusion. The people hope for the sacred ‘Ark’ to come save them, a kind of salvation from the depressing depths of their existence, this hope of the ‘Ark’ is the sole source of any sanity; is the ‘Ark’ even real? Is it just propaganda to keep everyone in order? The ‘Ark’ could just be a mirage, an oasis of life that feeds everyone’s delusions.
The films main character Soft is a man who tries to keep the order of the sad society, he spreads hope of the ‘Ark’ even when he has doubts (and maybe even never believes) about it. This is such an interesting metaphor; Szulkin could be making a stance on the use of propaganda and ‘manufactured truth’ to keep the people happy and ignorant to the reality of life, something quite prevalent in the USSR; Szulkin could also be conveying an idea of how religion manages to control people and influence them in a (maybe negative) way, people mindlessly believe these things just because it’s the only thing to keep them from facing the truth, something quite poignant when it comes to the idea of religion. This idea is also built on with obvious biblical imagery, like the ‘Ark’ or the idea of salvation from the gloomy life the people face. Maybe Szulkin was spinning a positive message on religion and how it brings hope to people even in the most dire circumstances. This is a big reason why I loved this film, it can go so deep while not being too philosophical.
Visually this film is spectacular, the portrayal of the bunker is so effective that it made me feel slightly claustrophobic and uncomfortable with the environment. The whole film is absent of any natural lighting, this gives the film a darker setting but also adds onto the unhealthy atmosphere of decay and deprivation. The post-apocalyptic world is so brilliantly created and really helps seal that idea of a trapped society with no chance at all of survival, super depressing. Those last 10 minutes are visually stunning, such a beautiful contrast to the grim rest of the film. 
This is probably Szulkin’s least absurd film, there are no aliens or clones or wild rituals from another planet, being his ‘least’ absurd film doesn’t mean it’s not bizarre however. There are a lot of very grotesque and strange moments, sometimes with very seedy undertones or just plain grimy vibes. I really love how Szulkin can make such wacky films in such an odd and rather disturbing way and still have them to be really political and very poignant, he’s definitely one of the most underrated auteurs of all time. He’s just superb. 

Also! The radiance blu ray is so magnificent, I’m in need of some more radiance lol. They really did Szulkin justice (I should’ve got the boxset).

Really unrealistic there is now ay the govermen would lie to us so we would have false hope

Really unrealistic there is now ay the govermen would lie to us so we would have false hope

It's really unfortunate to experience a film without any historical context. This is what ruined everything for me.
I've noticed a minor Fire Punch reference and their similar take on ideology, faith AND both this film and Kin-dza-dza portrayed a similar satirical take on communism in their homecountry.

Matter of fact, it was really poetic.
Just as the film's theme is againts coummunism, The Dome and it's inhabitors just chipping away The Dome itself.
-Everyone eating the one thing that could explain something to them about their predicament;
-Certain individual gathering animals and creating himself an Ark.
-They're using the Plane's compartments as currency even though there should have been a time to use that for an escape

But something stood out for me, which was the cover of the film.
So during the time of it's airing multiple Polish artists rebelled againts that times current system, and their "updated/unique" film cover utilizing was really cool. My only problem was the cover being too stylish and objectively great so that I thought that the film would easily be a banger without question. But appereantly not (for me).

It's really unfortunate to experience a film without any historical context. This is what ruined everything for me.
I've noticed a minor Fire Punch reference and their similar take on ideology, faith AND both this film and Kin-dza-dza portrayed a similar satirical take on communism in their homecountry.

Matter of fact, it was really poetic.
Just as the film's theme is againts coummunism, The Dome and it's inhabitors just chipping away The Dome itself.
-Everyone eating the one thing that could explain something to them about their predicament;
-Certain individual gathering animals and creating himself an Ark.
-They're using the Plane's compartments as currency even though there should have been a time to use that for an escape

But something stood out for me, which was the cover of the film.
So during the time of it's airing multiple Polish artists rebelled againts that times current system, and their "updated/unique" film cover utilizing was really cool. My only problem was the cover being too stylish and objectively great so that I thought that the film would easily be a banger without question. But appereantly not (for me).

Would you rather believe in a comforting lie or a harsh reality? that's pretty much what this film dares you to answer.

Would you rather believe in a comforting lie or a harsh reality? that's pretty much what this film dares you to answer.

A doomish dystopian on point! It creates its own oppressive, terrifyingly dark vibe, which brings its own unique characteristics. Gonna watch some more Szulkin.

P.s. watched this with the original polish audio and subtitles - if I could understand the dialog without reading it could have been a better experience. But that's not the movie's fault.

A doomish dystopian on point! It creates its own oppressive, terrifyingly dark vibe, which brings its own unique characteristics. Gonna watch some more Szulkin.

P.s. watched this with the original polish audio and subtitles - if I could understand the dialog without reading it could have been a better experience. But that's not the movie's fault.