Communion

Friday, January 4 - Saturday, January 12, 2019

Living amid domestic instability and teenaged volatility, a sister and brother play out their lives on camera.

At fourteen, Ola is already functioning as the woman of the house, cooking and cleaning for her lethargic father and helping her energetic autistic brother, Nikodem, prepare for his first Holy Communion. Throughout, she longs for her mother, whose absence is never explained, yet always deeply felt. As the date of Communion nears, it becomes an opportunity for the family to meet up and Ola is entirely responsible for planning the perfect family celebration.

COMMUNION is a portrait of young womanhood and a crash course in growing up that teaches us that no failure is final, and that change is possible and needed, especially when love is in question.

“COMMUNION scores a perfect 10 in drawing out viewer empathy… There’s an unadorned, direct quality to everything in the film.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety

“COMMUNION took my breath away, brought me to tears, left me contemplating mysteries of family.” – Joshua Oppenheimer, Academy Award-nominated director

Winner – Best Documentary, European Academy Awards; Winner – Best Documentary, Polish Academy Awards; Winner – Critic’s Week Award, Locarno Film Festival; Official Selection – Best of Fest, IDFA

• Country Poland
• Language In Polish with English subtitles.
• Running Time 73 minutes
• Director Anna Zamecka
• Writer Anna Zamecka
• Editor Agnieszka Glinska, Anna Zamecka
• Cinematographer Malgorzata Szylak
• Cast Ola Kaczanowski

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.