Bogowie

I came across this under-the-radar film today, read the only review already on IMDb, heard from a Polish friend that it was quite good and couldn't really find anything else on it before going to see it.

I was expecting it to be good, but it turned out to be possibly the most enjoyable film I've seen all year (I see at least 30-40 new releases each year, and with a reasonable degree of research before watching, almost never see a terrible film - the only awful film I've seen in a theatre in the last two years is The Counselor where I didn't research the film and went in because of the cast - never again!).

A biopic made in a typical European style - understated drama, lots of subtle as well as some black humour and emotional depth. Riveting from start to finish, it is the story of the man who pioneered the first heart transplant in Poland after wading through the obstacles thrown at him by a sceptical medical fraternity and lumbering bureaucracy (he later went on to become a prominent politician though the film focuses purely on the events leading up to the event that made him famous in Poland).

Tomasz Kot is brilliant playing Religa, and the entire supporting cast are very good. There is a reasonable amount of medical jargon used (I was following English subtitles) which worked for me as a fan of medical dramas.

The depiction of Poland and life there in the 80s is very well done - there are subtle homages to the period setting (through the soundtrack for example) but you never get the feeling the director is getting carried away with the setting and the events of the story remain the main focus.

Technically the film is very well shot and edited (some of the surgery scenes are fascinating in their detail) and the script is excellent. Highly recommended!

Had time to watch such convincing actor and what an inspiring story as well.

Magnificent acting by the protagonist and stunning balance of ethics (due to sensitive matter), humor, seriousness , drama, comic.

I remember thinking during seeing this film that when someone is just brilliant and really likes and believes what he does, he is unstoppable. And moreover since we currently are in the era of startups, the film reveals a perspective of a Medical Clinic startup in an era when there is no context for incubation but rather hostility towards individual ambitions.

Food for thoughts, inspiration and heart.

Highly recommended

I went to watch this movie with my mom. We both loved it - excellent actors, thought-provoking concepts, and HILARIOUS lines at times. My mom was glad to show me a piece of her life - socialist realm she remembers from her youth. I was glad to share with her a bit of my life - I am not a doctor, but a researcher in a medicine-related field.

This movie was needed. I am looking forward to English translation, I want to watch it with my friends who are also scientists. I needed to see this to remind myself why I do what I d, I'm sure they will too. The guy transplanted a freaking HEART without even having a computer or freedom, I can as well suck it up in my lab.

I was waiting for a good Polish movie for a very long time. They were serving us lots of crap for the last few years.

I would recommend this movie to any adult in the world. It should be easy to translate, because the value of life is known to any human on the planet. Moreover the fight to keep people alive is very immersive and you feel like you are standing next to a real doctor, watching his hands. It is moving, quite dramatic on moments yet filled with jokes so you are not kept tense for the whole time. The mix of victories and failures make it very realistic. All the setting, exteriors, interiors, clothes, furniture, cars are period correct. Everything looks exactly as it should except some music tracks are ahead of it's time, but they fill the theme quite OK. I hope we can finally see the rebirth of Polish cinematography and more movies as good as this one.

Great acting. Great uniform theme of the 80's in Poland. The best doctor movie I have seen in my life.

I did not expect much from the movie and only decided to watch it out of respect to Zbigniew Religa. The only drawback is footage from real surgeries on open heart, and this may be too graphic for some viewers to stomach. The viewer will find it hard to observe the action from the back seat as the whole plot evolves like Bolero by Ravel.

It starts rather slow, in casual manner, just to turn up a notch every once a while. The production crew faced quite a challenge since most viewers knew what happened in real life, and what the final outcome was. In this respect the challenge was met with a great performance, especially by the main character. Just like in Bolero the movie ends with a high note, leaving the audience in awe.