Mandragora Reviews

This movie seemed really harsh to me. I guess one of the reasons for that, is that the main character Marek, looks alike a person I used to know; someone I have lost actually. I won’t get into any details. There were quite a few moments in this movie, which were astonishing in the way they portrayed reality out there. Reality which exists, but many are not ready to accept as fact.

To me Marek is a normal teen-aged boy, who needs his own space. He is tired of hearing from people who think that they know what is best for him. Unfortunately he should have listened to his dad; a person, who surely loved him, though somehow the link between them was lost.

There is emptiness in the heart of the boy, caused by the absence of his mother. I did not get if she died or just left them, but somehow the fact she was not there, was affecting Marek in a way which made me think that he was much closer to her, than to his father.

I can not blame him for running away. I myself have considered this possibility several times. Even after seeing movies like this, seeing that it could be hard to just survive, couldn’t quell my thoughts that someday, I may do it. The differences between me and Marek, is that he is braver than I am. He made a decision and acted on it. It is another matter whether his decision was silly or not.

The first sexual scene is very disturbing. I felt sorry for the boy. I was watching the screen thinking, “Now you have to go back.” But at the same time I realized, that for him this was not an option. The scene at the bar, when he announced for a very first time, his new profession, is where you see the way he deals with it. I could hardly forget the way he spoke, as he approached the American tourist, the way he looked him. It seemed oddly professional. I don’t really know what term to use to describe it.

At the same time we see the other types of characters. The pimps, the boys, the clients – they are portrayed in greater details. Somehow even their facial expressions talked about their personalities, or at least it did to me.

I passed by a very similar place to this bar in which Marek was approached by the pimp for a first time. And you know as I thought about it, the similarities between the movie and reality were unbelievable. The only difference, the prostitutes were girls, but nothing more. When school is over, I have to pass that area again. 8 pm doesn’t seem like the right time to do it, but I have no choice. After seeing this movie, it freaks me out a bit.

But on to the movie, it is the masterpiece of Wiktor Grodecki. Of this, there is no doubt. I highly recommend that you watch it at least once. And maybe someday you will be able to make a difference for a boy, who may be living like the boys shown in this movie. You may be his only way out of this hell he is living through. Even though it is hard, the boys seemed destined to be doomed.