Review by michalzlodzi

This is not only my favorite new wave piece of film-making, but probably even my fave all time movie ever. It's surreal, a bit stagy and it's cranky and twee at the same time. Mesmerising soundtrack by Krzysztof Komeda oscillating between avant-garde jazz and psychedelic choral motives fits the snapshots perfectly and the use of camera and backgrounds in most scenes is just as riveting (and pretty revolutionary for 1966 I suppose). Characteristic for Skolimowski's works abstract and sardonic humour makes it as playful and refreshing as any of the Truffaut's late 60s gems although the central theme (barriers between generations in a post-war Poland) is treated entirely seriously here. "Barrier" seems to be quite a complex cinema, bristling with ideas and references but at the same time the whole story is quite simple and beautiful and its pure joy to watch Jan Nowicki and Joanna Szczerbic as a main characters. In general I am quite surprised that "Barrier" won only main prize at Bergamo festival and it makes me pretty wistful that Skolimowski's way-out ideas for cinema from late 60s (along with "Barrier" - "Hands up" and "Le depart" come to my mind) are rather forgotten in Europe nowadays. As one of the critics wrote just before Skolimowski's retrospective at Moscow festival: "Jerzy Skolimowski, is one of those scarcely known classics whose fame comes sort of „post factum" in retrospective shows when the artist said everything what he had to say". Enough said, don't miss this masterpiece if you ever have a chance to watch it.