Walls dir. Katarzyna Smutniak

“Walls” / dir. Katarzyna Smutniak / documentary / 2023 / 107 min. / Italy

“Walls” – the debut film by Kasia Smutniak, is a poignant documentary about the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border, created out of a need for a deeper analysis of what triggers our feelings of helplessness in the face of suffering. The film primarily depicts the drama of people seeking a better place to live and the enormous efforts of activists working at the border, who risk their own lives to help them. The central motif of the film is the wall that has been erected at the Polish-Belarusian border, which serves as a backdrop for contrasting two perspectives: contemporary and historical, as well as personal and familial history. The film also reflects on the origins of evil and the functioning of walls in the modern world—both tangible, such as the wall of the Jewish cemetery in Łódź, and intangible, manifesting in the reluctance towards others.