In this somewhat lazy biopic, Drzymalska proves she’s one of the best actresses of her generation. It’s a pity that the film is unable to show the entire comprehensive nature of Kossak.    

Drzymalska doesn’t only play Kossak; she becomes her. We don’t see traits of the actress, who recently starred in a critically acclaimed Biała odwaga. She’s something else, embodying Kossak’s colourful personality and showing how and why she decided to leave Kraków and move to Białowieża to start a brand-new life. Here, she meets a dedicated photographer, and this relationship will truly change her life.

Adrian Panek has beautifully shot his biopic drama with respect towards ecology and nature, the film’s two main topics. It’s also a film about personal freedom and caring about your own body, so it tends to be sexy, full of full frontal scenes, bolstering the symbol of Kossak as a woman who was never scared to care about her body, thoughts, needs and desires. Although its premise is different, Simona Kossak’s naturalistic approach towards physicality reminds us of another Polish modern classic, Sztuka kochania. Historia Michaliny Wisłockiej, which premiered in 2017. Other than this, the film about Kossak is its own creation, embedded in Kossak’s audacity.

Ultimately, Simona Kossak is not for everyone, especially for her biggest aficionados. At the beginning of the review, I called it “lazy” because it’s like watching an adaptation of Wikipedia’s subpage about Kossak. In Panek’s newest film, we learn who she was and what she did, but after the final credits, we are left unsure what kind of person Kossak really used to be. We just feel there is more of a story to be told, but maybe Panek (also an author of the script) decided to make it more approachable with the loss of its plot’s substance. 

And we can’t be really angry at him. Kossak is no longer the memorable icon she used to be in the XX century. If Simona Kossak will preserve its heroine from being forgotten while reminding new generations about her heritage, it’s already a win; a success for everyone from the director to the audiences and Polish cultural history.   

Photo: Next Film

3/5 stars

Author: Jan Tracz