Man Proposes, God Disposes

Man proposes, God disposes. Time will tell if this idiom is spot on or far wrong. The opening long shot does suggest that from the heavens, the eye of God could see straight into the winding streets of the Polish city of Gdansk, where two masked robbers take to their heels after a successful raid. A black cat crossing their path bodes ill. Karol, one of the small-time criminals, joins his sister and mother for breakfast, ignoring their job offer. He much rather spends his time going out at night, dancing and flirting in clubs, or hanging out with his group of friends. One morning, he receives an ominous call from Brazil. Yet, in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock, the audience cannot hear what is said, merely see Karol’s reaction in this long, silent scene. As the glass patio door shields him from his sister’s curious ears, Karol touches the brow of his bald head with his left hand, as if to simultaneously stimulate and pacify his train of thought, all the while holding his phone in his right hand. He just found out that he’s a father – the result of a one-night stand with Bruna, a tourist from Brazil. Karol, son of an absent father, makes his decision in a heartbeat and leaves Gdansk for São Paulo. Bruna is not exactly excited about Karol’s sudden arrival. Against the backdrop of the economic and political situation, she has no patience with her new lethargic “couch surfer”. Will he finally get off the sofa? The future mother of his unborn child does her best to this effect. Karol will continue to stroke his bald head helplessly while getting to know the daily work life in São Paulo. The narrative realism of this story is only one layer of the film. A second, metaphysical one, seems to be the fatal key player. After all: Let’s not forget the film’s title… (Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg)