Tata brings out the best in Eryk Lubos, one of the most talented actors of his generation. It’s a crowd-pleaser we have all been waiting for in the modern cinema.

As Anna Maliszewska’s latest feature film is already (or shall we say finally, as it’s a title from 2022) out on the Polish VOD, it’s an ideal moment to say a few words about it for British Poles’ readers. 

Tata tells the story of Michał (Eryk Lubos), a truck driver, who finds himself assigned to a strange and unexpected task. After the death of his Ukrainian nanny, our single father will have to take his daughter, Miśka (Klaudia Kurak) with him. Now, that’s the best he can come up with. However, all of this gets even more complicated, when he realizes that the nanny’s child, Lenka (Polina Gromova), has no one else. After a little encouragement from his daughter, Michał decides to become a temporary dad for a second girl.

Something life-affirming can be felt in the way Michał, the eponymous father, takes care of his daughter and her best friend. Spending time together in his truck, which for a while becomes their new home, becomes therapeutic for all of them, especially Michał. It’s often difficult for older actors to achieve on-screen chemistry with kids, but all of their interactions seem rather natural and as true as they can only get.

The whole premise reminds us of Stallone’s Over the Top (1987), but it’s more interested in the character development than the action that comes and goes through the journey. The entire road ahead of them allows them to find new language and reconcile; create even a stronger bond, which will be unbreakable no matter what. 

Thus, one can argue that Tata is also about the way Poland and Ukraine can find a common tongue in order to create an ecosystem in the times of war, which is just around the corner. Tata is a film that wants to unite its audiences, not divide. There is nothing more dignified than the cinema can do in the XXI century. 

Photo: Warner Bros Poland 

3,5/5 stars

Author: Jan Tracz