Polish star Andrzej Chyra plays Adam a Catholic priest that is struggling with his loneliness and denial of homosexuality in a conservative rural village.  Father Adam works with delinquent teenage boys and his real love for and connection to the difficult boys give him a vocation where he is able to help them and win their respect. 

Father Adam is a charismatic figure and the Catholic church appreciates his ability to work with the troubled boys.  As one of the church hierarchy says “The flame of faith burns brightly in Father Adam.”

But Father Adam is struggling with inner demons. His obsession with jobbing in the forest which at first seems like a sign of his inner spiritual life soon is revealed to be a form of escape from his inner torment. 

Szumowska uses Biblical themes and images in her story that could be heavy handed but are used in such a way that they blend into the story without overwhelming it. 

Father Adam undergoes various trials. One of his first temptations is when Ewa the wife of his lay colleague Michal tries to seduce him.  Confronted with Ewa who has stripped down to her underwear in his room the priest says ironically, “Of course you are attractive but I am already taken.”  By this point in the film we are only beginning to suspect that Father Adam is attracted to the boys in his charge and we are left wondering if he is referring to his vow to Christ or something else.

While tormented by his attraction to the boys and taunted by the openly gay “Blondie” played by Tomasz Schuchardt, Father Adam is not a pedophile and suffers from loneliness as much as the lack of sexual satisfaction.

He becomes attracted to Lukasz a young man from a poverty stricken household in the village with a brother with learning disabilities that is taunted cruelly by the local children.  Their tender relationship develops as both men are emotionally needy but Father Adam is afraid to allow the relationship to be consummated. 

In one of the film’s few wrong steps Father Adam gets horribly drunk and dances with a portrait of the Pope which is comic but was probably not intended to be. 

Meanwhile Michal has begun to suspect Father Adam’s sexual attraction to boys and reports him to the church hierarchy after one of the boys commits suicide.   At this point we begin to understand that this is not the first time that problems have occurred where Father Adam has been posted and the church decides to quietly transfer him to another village rather that expose him.

Tortured and lonely Father Adam is shipped off to his next assignment but Lukasz finds him and at last their mutual attraction is consummated.

The role of Father Adam demands a highly charismatic actor to make the character believable and casting Chyra in the role was the right choice.   Chyra who is a Szumowska regular gives a nuanced and powerful performance that is certainly deserving of a possible Best Actor award in Berlin. 

Special mention should go to DoP Michal Englert gives us a view of the village as both natural and mythic. 

 

Director: Malgoska Szumowska
Poland 2012
Cast: Andrzej Chyra, Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Maja Ostaszewska
Production: Mental Disorder 4
Canal+, SHOT Szumowski

Supported by Polish Film Institute