In the Name Of (W imię...)

In the Name Of (W imię...), dir. Małgoska Szumowska, 2012, Poland, 97 min., in Polish with English subtitles 
Tuesday, June 25, 7:00 pm @ Castro

Father Adam (Andrzej Chyra)

Father Adam is sent to administer a small reformatory school run by the Catholic Church in a small town in Poland’s Warminsko-Mazurskie region. He’s younger and much more “cool” than his predecessors. He begins to get close to the teenage boys under his charge, and gets very close to one boy, Lukasz. A lot of the rest of the plot flew right over my head, probably at least partly because I am neither Polish nor Catholic, but I found it difficult to understand or relate to any of the characters. In the Name Of won the Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival, but I found it mostly a waste of time. Not Recommended.

Note: some sources list the director’s name as Małgorzata Szumowska, but nie znam polskiego, więc co mam wiedzieć? It’s spelled Malgoska in the Frameline promotional materials.

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