Criticism

1: The Andrzej Wajda Retrospective at the CSUN Cinematheque continues with a Wajda DOUBLE FEATURE—SWEET RUSH, 2007, and AFTERIMAGE, 2016.

SWEET RUSH: In small-town Poland in the late 1950s, an aging woman married to a workaholic doctor meets a young man who makes her feel young again. Framed around this story, lead actress Krystyna Janda discusses the death of her husband from cancer. SWEET RUSH is an innovative and moving film that explores the complexities of art, life, and the mysteries of death.

AFTERIMAGE: In the final film of his career, Wajda recounts the story of charismatic modernist painter Wladyslaw Strzeminski, who opposed social realism and maintained his own artistic freedom in spite of political obstacles. AFTERIMAGE is a fitting homage from a director who frequently challenged the system himself and continuously walked the fine line between art and politics.

#2. A CHRONICLE OF AMOROUS ACCIDENTS, 1986.

Wajda’s A CHRONICLE OF AMOROUS ACCIDENTS is based on the novel by Tadeusz Konwicki, who also appears in the film. It takes place in the spring and summer of 1939 and tells the story of a passionate love which brings together two high school students right before the outbreak of World War II. This magical and mysterious film gave Wajda the unique opportunity to revisit the world which he remembered from his own youth. Described by many as the best Polish film about the pre-war period.

Cinemathèque screenings take place on Thursday evenings in MZ100 (Armer Theater). There is a

participation assignment related to the Thursday Night Cinematheque that can be fulfilled by

either attending and reviewing three Andrzej Wajda Retrospective screenings (see schedule

handout for films), OR, by completing an alternate assignment that will allow you to watch and

review the films on your own. These assignments will count towards your Attendance and

Participation grade. Any additional attendance and submitted reviews at Cinemathèque events

will be extra credit (see details below). Write-ups should be a minimum of 1-FULL page+,

double-space, 12-point font, stating the name of the film, date of Cinemathèque attendance, a

short summary, and any comments or responses you had to the film. If you give me less than a

page write-up, it will be returned to you unrecorded. These write-ups are due NO LATER than the

next class session after the screening. Also, please sign the sign-in sheet available after the

screening on the date of your attendance.