Tricks [trik]

Tricks

[trik]

Tricks, (Sztuczki) is a 2007 Polish film written, directed and produced by Andrzej Jakimowski starring Damian Ul, Ewelina Walendziak and Tomasz Sapryk. Tricks is Andrzej Jakimowski's follow up to Squint Your Eyes (Zmruz oczy), his 2002 debut.

Plot

Charming, bittersweet narrative unfolds from siblings Stefek, 6, and Elka, 18, and Elka's car mechanic boyfriend Jerzy during a sun-drenched summer. The siblings live with their shopkeeper mother. Their father left her for another woman when Stefek was very young. Six-year-old Stefek challenges fate. He believes that the chain of events he sets in motion will help him get closer to his father who abandoned his mother. His sister Elka, 17, helps him learn how to bribe fate with small sacrifices. Tricks and coincidences eventually bring the father to the mother's doorstep but things go wrong. In despair Stefak tries his good luck with the most risky of his tricks.

Cast

Damian Ul as Stefek
Ewelina Walendziak as Elka
Tomasz Sapryk as Father of Stefek and Elka
Rafal Guzniczak as Jerzy
Iwona Fornalczyk as Mother of Stefek and Elka
Joanna Liszowska as Violka
Andrzej Golejewski as Homless
Grzegorz Stelmaszewski as Turek
Simeone Matarelli as Leone

Distribution and response

Tricks received a warm reception from the audience at the Venice Film Festival whilst at the same time gaining critics' approval. Iain Millar from the American channel Bloomberg wrote in his review: "The success of Szuczki is due mostly to the incredible intuition of Jakimowski as a director. Although not nominated for the bigger awards, Tricks received attention from many film festivals. The film was chosen as Poland's official submission to the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.