| General |
|
| Country | Poland |
| Co-producing country | tbc |
| Language | Polish |
| Budget | 1 mln Euro |
| Genre | psychological drama |
| Shooting format | digital |
Director's notes
Where is the boundary line between love and hate in a deranged relationship?
Rather than making an outspoken film about pedophilia in teen sports, I'd like to explore the troubling, challenging aspect of the bond between a promising apprentice and his ambiguous coach.
What Piotr wants more than anything is to become a champion. He is prepared to spend endless hours at the swimming pool. The swimming has given his life a focus, a drive. He feels that he has suddenly become somebody.
Equally important is his profound connection with the coach Bogdan. Here is an adult who actually cares about Piotr. A guy who is a strong role-model, an inspiration. Piotrs has been raised without a father. In meeting Bogdan, he discovers all that he has been missing: care, attention, affection, ultimately even love.
The coach becomes a twisted father-figure for the boy. He inflicts pain and causes irreparable damage, but he also launches a remarkable career. How will this fragile, complex relationship develop and - eventually - end when the dark secret is discovered?
The decision to set my story in a swimming environment is influenced by the fact that I used to be a teenage swimmer for over 10 years. The swimming pool was my second home. I believe that the claustrophobic, clean and visually intriguing setting of a swimming hall is an appropriate point of departure for this story.
Where is the boundary line between love and hate in a deranged relationship?
Rather than making an outspoken film about pedophilia in teen sports, I'd like to explore the troubling, challenging aspect of the bond between a promising apprentice and his ambiguous coach.
What Piotr wants more than anything is to become a champion. He is prepared to spend endless hours at the swimming pool. The swimming has given his life a focus, a drive. He feels that he has suddenly become somebody.
Equally important is his profound connection with the coach Bogdan. Here is an adult who actually cares about Piotr. A guy who is a strong role-model, an inspiration. Piotrs has been raised without a father. In meeting Bogdan, he discovers all that he has been missing: care, attention, affection, ultimately even love.
The coach becomes a twisted father-figure for the boy. He inflicts pain and causes irreparable damage, but he also launches a remarkable career. How will this fragile, complex relationship develop and - eventually - end when the dark secret is discovered?
The decision to set my story in a swimming environment is influenced by the fact that I used to be a teenage swimmer for over 10 years. The swimming pool was my second home. I believe that the claustrophobic, clean and visually intriguing setting of a swimming hall is an appropriate point of departure for this story.