Every first time | Absolute Beginners review

There are some holidays that even though they last if others, make a mark on us as if they lasted a whole year. For some, it’s a growth spurt; for others a change takes place in the mind. The last summer of childhood or the first summer of adulthood? The blurred line between these two highlights how difficult this period is for a young person, because it confronts them with choices they have not yet had to make in life. All the previous experiences pile up into decisions that one must make, because the split in paths does not allow one to continue along the same path. It’s damn hard, but the most important thing is not to worry about the downfalls, because they, against all logic, only help us continue our way.

And such was the summer of Lena (Martyna Byczkowska) and Niko (Bartłomiej Deklawa). It was supposed to be like any other, but a convergence of events, i.e. college enrolment, their parents’ relationship and meeting Igor put them at a crossroads. Seemingly a summer like any other turned into a summer of firsts, and the friendship they were having so far had to be redefined by many questions. These questions are, of course, also about themselves. Who they are, who they want to be and be for each other, but above all, what they feel. And all of this will not be left without consequences, and their first semi-adult summer makes it necessary to confront these consequences.

The work of Kamila Tarabura and Katarzyna Warzecha is a veritable mosaic of intertextuality. The series is built as if from bits and pieces of cultural images and every now and then it gives us the impression that we have already seen it somewhere. Sometimes more, sometimes less, it prompts us to make an intellectual effort to remember whose influence we are just dealing with. Even at first glance, the story itself is tentatively reminiscent of Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers. But after all, there is nothing wrong with reaching for the classics! Getting inspired by classics, even more so by such masters, shows ambition, and this should not be stigmatised when it comes out so very skillfully. It is clear that the world depicted in Absolute Beginners revolves around a love of cinema. And it is not just the numerous references or the story behind the film school recruitment that make up for this. It is not just and only a coming-of-age film, but also, and perhaps above all, a film of the road we have to take to get where we want to go. Sometimes it’s a road we consciously choose, and sometimes we just choose a destination we want to get to and then the road dictates itself to us. Well, If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which path you take…

Kinga Majchrzak