POLISH FILM FESTIVAL returns this June and July to Sydney with a curated selection of new Polish films.
Among them is the excellent Cold War thriller DOPPELGÄNGER. THE DOUBLE (Doppelgänger. Sobotór)
Rooted in actual events of Cold War Poland, DOPPELGÄNGER. THE DOUBLE (Doppelgänger. Sobotór) is a gripping psychological spy thriller unfolding on both sides of the Iron Curtain and following the intertwined lives of two men, Hans Steiner in Strasbourg and Jan Bitner in Gdańsk, living in parallel universes yet inexorably connected.
Allusions to James Bond abound but this exciting film is steeped more in Le Carre territory, a grim exposition of the ignoble art of double bluff. It is an exercise in political logic that plagued East West relations between the end of World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
It charts the career of a Soviet mole in Strasbourg during the time of Solidarity in Poland, the assassinations and malevolent manoeuvrings against Polish expats and their sympathisers.
Jakub Gierszal as Hans Steiner gives a stunning screen performance as the spy, a handsome dashing charismatic character who, over the years of his assignment, battles with the ravages of his duplicity and deceit, the pretence of his masquerade warping his own idenity.
Director Jan Holoubek work is beyond praise as he keeps audiences on the edge of their seats as the intricate web of intrigue is teased out.
Every year the Polish Film Festival showcases a diverse selection of inspiring, thought-provoking and entertaining films, and Doppelgänger. Sobotór is another fine example.
All films screen with English subtitles or in English.
Tickets are now on sale and full program is available at http://www.polishfilmfestival.org/sydney
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