Horror Story

The title is not misleading. Newly graduated Tomek (Jakub Zajac) all bright eyed bushy tailed and as green as they come, is fresh from university. With a degree in banking he’s expecting to land a good job in Warsaw, and upwards from there.

First, accommodation, and with little money he’s no choice but to go for a poor room in a rundown house populated by eccentrics. He’s not totally convinced but the charms of the owner’s granddaughter Sonia (Michalina Olszanka) get his signature on the contract before telling him she doesn’t live there, giving a pointer to one of Tomek’s weaknesses.

This links in with his yearning to get back with his ex for whom he carries a torch and photo. He’s ridiculed by house joker Jarek (Konrad Eleryk) about this though his position is not much better constantly rowing with partner Marta (Marta Stalmierska). The other members of the household are slob computer expert Seweryn (Sebastian Perdek) and eccentric grandmother Aurelia (Anna Seniuk).

With those set up, writer/director Adrian Apanel then sets about Tomek’s attempts to get a job. He goes to agencies, seminars, online applications that variously don’t lead to jobs just criticism about his qualifications, his appearance and lack of interview technique.

Its funny and sad and many will recognise these scenarios albeit as a satire they are exaggerated - Tomek is made-up to enhance his features but end’s up looking pasty and coal eyed. The consultant constructed interviews with nonsensical questions that the interviewers probably don’t understand.

The pressure begins to mount. The house is no comfort. His chats to Jarek are reassuring, to start with; the grandmother is in a world of her own. A meeting with his ex is a disaster.

For a while I did begin to wonder how much more Apanel would pile on Tomek, will he get a break? That would be telling. But as absurd this all is with its cast of ridiculous characters, there’s a genuinely dark kernel here about modern life for the young, the toll it must take with the unrelenting competitiveness of society and sheer brutality of it.

Structurally the film can occasionally appear episodic as Tomek’s life shifts between house, job interview and another disaster. However Zajac is brilliant; his pathetic charm glues the film and you can’t help feeling for him. The rest of the cast are mainly caricatures, played as such and very well too.

A word to for the jazz-based score by Tymon Tymanski, that beautifully and subtly accompanies the film’s action.

Horror Story will screen at the Kinoteka Polish Film Festival 2024 which takes place in venues across London 6 - 28 March.

For further information and tickets: https://kinoteka.org.uk/