Mój Nikifor

I can only imagine that this movie is funny or touching to those who know the artist. I did not, however, and found the movie greatly lacking content, depth... and art.

What we see is only the very last part of Nikifor's life. We do not see his youth, how he got to be an artist, who inspired him, how he worked, nothing at all, no background is given. We hardly see any of his work, except during the closing credits. The actress depicting Nikofor makes him look surly, unlikeable and even dim-witted at times, and she does so with over the top acting, as if she is mainly focused on playing a male role instead of playing the artist.

Yes, this movie has won awards. But I can't imagine why. We get no insight into the character of Nikifor at all, and thus, it was a waste of my time.

I have never known the existence of the late Polish/Ukrainian naïve painter Nikifor (Epifaniusz Drowniak/Nikifor Krynicki/Nykyfor) until I saw this biographical movie of his. Interesting enough he immediately reminds me of a local Hong Kong artist whose head is totally chaotic and behaves in bizarre manner. His trademark claim is that he is Hong Kong's "Kowloon Emperor", that's Tsang Tsou-choi, the world's oldest graffiti calligraphy artist (works in Chinese characters), well, much earlier than New York's Keith Haring but the latter makes tons of $$$. (By the way, Emperor Tsang is now on the official list of "Hong Kong identity symbols to be protected". One piece of wood he painted sold for US$1,100.) I even can't help thinking about Vincent Van Gogh, David Helfgott or UK's Banksy (though no proof of his insanity, yet), artists who are either physically or mentally-challenged. The life of the said names tell us many tears-in-bitter-joy stories that true art, no matter how late, will be discovered and appreciated by the world.

What catches my attention is not the art of Nikifor, (to be frank, I have to confess that I need time to understand/digest his art) but Marian Wlosinski. How can he take that: the disillusionment of going to Krakow, the shattered future as an artist, the warning from his authority, the departure of his wife and two daughters… Why does he still insist on helping? How come his eyes see so differently from the others while no one cares about the frail old chap or his art? There is something about him that we can look into.

Just like other films depicting lives of artists, this warm and direct storytelling offers no shocking food for our sensory cells but one, at least to me, Nikifor is interpreted by an actress! Krystyna Feldman accepts this role and tested the audience's response by disguising as a beggar soliciting money at the spa! Well, she is as freaky as the role itself. Queerly coincidentally, she shares the same birth year of our Kowloon Emperor. Well, no matter how old you are, you can have your eccentric fun as much as you want to.

This is a remarkable biographical film with class. The actor who played Nikifor gave probably one of history's best performances as a stubborn old man but with a strong passion in what he does best.

The plot flow is quick, but with the right timing and pace, both which perfectly enrich the storyline and demonstrated the many details of the lifestyle or the culture of the locals across many different seasonal changes. The camera angle is kind of amateurish but did not disturb the viewers' observation at all.

I am not a fan of artwork but this movie is artistically done in a good way. But assuming Nikifor is as what he was depicted in this film, if he gets to watch himself on this movie rather than on an art paper, he will be cursing :)

Nikifor was given birth in the stables, by his deaf and mute mother. He had a twin sister, which later has frozen to death. Local Nikifor has inherited his mother's disability by having his tongue-tied to a palate (ankyloglossia), which made him unable to articulate and produce understandable speech, and was partially deaf. He was also illiterate. Various people have given him shelter, he had no birth certificate. From a legal point of view... he simply did not exist. He was raised and lived in an isolation from society, it's standards, and people, who poked fun at a miserable creature. Screen writer, Joanna Kos, in an interview in Gazeta Wyborcza admitted that film should be viewed as a study on humanity, and likened the story to this of an Elijah prophet.

I was lucky in I was an admirer of Nikifor and in the mid 90's visited Krynica and the Nikifor Museum. I suspect the film echoes modern sentiment of his life and work, since in the town there was not the enthusiasm for his fame and the museum was somewhat lacking in content. However from the film I immediately remembered the town and its simple beauty, and spent an enjoyable week there. The film it is rather slow but does keep up a momentum; and shows how difficult the artist was to deal with by a bureaucratic society beset with vestiges of their own self importance, while having to openly acknowledge the status of a man previously held in ridicule. The acting is very fine, right down to the humanity of the two little girls, and there are significant small cameo shots such as the later dialogue in the scene in the town café which is typically Polish. Filming is also excellent. A memorable yet understated film.