The Reverse, one of the most acclaimed Polish films of the past few years, has gone on general release to good reviews in France.

The movie, which stars the daughter of president of the European parliament Jerzy Buzek,  is being shown in Paris, Rouen, Rennes, Pessac and Tounefeille under the title Tribulation d'une amoureuse sous Staline.

The daily Le Monde carries a favourable review of the film, with a label ‘worth seeing’.

Set in the 1950s, the film shows the terror of the Stalinist period in the convention of black comedy. The story centres on a woman in her early thirties, whose mother tries to find a husband for her and whose grandmother rates the prospective candidates. One day she meets a man, whose presence changes the lives of the three women.

The Reverse is a debut feature by Borys Lankosz. It received the Golden Lions at last year’s Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, as well as six other awards, including those for Best Actress (Agata Buzek), Best Cinematography and Best Soundtrack.

The film’s French premiere coincides with the launch of the week-long festival of Polish films at the Le Reflet Medicis cinema in Paris.

Held under the motto ‘The 30 Years of Solidarity’, it is a review of the achievements of Polish cinematography from the ‘cinema of moral anxiety’ of the 1970s to the latest successes by young directors, such as Jacek Borcuch’s All That I Love. (mk)