Le masseur

Poland's submission to the 93 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film focuses on a Ukrainian masseur working in an affluent area who gains a cult following. Malgorzata Szumowska's "Sniegu juz nigdy nie bedzie" ("Never Gonna Snow Again" in English) addresses the issues of class, the status of guest workers, and the environment (with people concerned that global warming will end frozen precipitation). Usually this is the sort of movie that I would expect to come from the US, Canada or western Europe - I understand that a number of Poles work in the UK - but it appears that even Poland brings in foreigners to do the work that the locals don't want to do; indeed, they mention Pakistanis working in the country.

I don't know that I would call it a great movie, but still worth seeing. A mystifying look at class issues in the former Eastern Bloc, and another movie calling attention to the biggest threat that civilization has ever faced.

A fascinating collection of quirky people, intriguing stories, social commentary and a mystery surrounding the masseur and spiritual healer Zenia (Alec Utgoff) who seems to have some special powers after surviving the Chernobyl disaster as a child. The central mystery keeps you intrigued, while the film explores the stories of the wealthy fenced-off neighbourhood (a very good Polish cast). I really liked the fairy-tale feeling of the film and the masterfully done dream-like hypnosis scenes (which looked amazing). The film doesn't feel larger than the sum of it parts though - the individual various elements work very well but in the end you don't necessarily get a satisfying pay-off to it all, it just drifts off like a dream. A worth effort from the Polish cinema.

Great storytelling, very good acting and every frame a painting. I good enjoy the way it has been shot and lit and still stay in de magic of the story. ISeeing this film was a gift.

Beautiful fairytale with mesmerasing structure, story and acting. I loved especially the chernobyl thread.

There is a certain sense of strangeness throughout the film, a certain touch of fantasy that reminds us especially of Jonathan Glazer. Not many things are explained about the main character, and especially in the final section the magical elements end up absorbing the traditional narrative, but the film as a whole has a touch of fantastic cinema, of universality in its proposal, which makes it the most affordable than Malgorzata Szumowska has made to date.