In Imago, a young woman struggling to find her path in 1980s Poland finds freedom, love and self-expression in the bourgeoning alternative music scene.
The ninth and youngest child in her family, Ela (Lena Góra) is a wandering, creative spirit who struggles with mental illness and doesn’t fit in with the expectations of her family. They often find it difficult to understand her perspective and her methods of self-medication which include meditation, drinking, smoking, and art.
Her family sends Ela to a psychiatric hospital where she drifts among the other women before self-discharging and returning home. It quickly becomes clear that Ela has a complicated relationship with her mother, at times expressing love and a desire to be close with her mom, and other times raging at her. Her mother largely disengages in return.
Instead, Ela finds comfort and support in her photographer friend Tomek (Mateusz Więcławek), who evidently carries a torch for Ela. But she largely views Tomek as a friend and is likely too free a spirit for him in any event.
When she meets Stach (Wacław Warchoł), a painter who matches her energy and has a bit of an edge, the two of them embark on a whirlwind romance. It leaves Tomek feeling somewhat displaced and relegated to the role of sidekick.
At a bar, Ela is mesmerized by the performing band, Forbidden Bathing. Their lyrics are poetic, their sound an eerie trance, and they don’t conform to rhythmic or contemporary expectations of music. It speaks to Ela’s core. She spontaneously hops on stage and joins in, and the crowd goes wild for her. At the invitation of the lead singer, Antek (Michał Balicki), she becomes a member of the band.
The music becomes a creative, emotional, and therapeutic outlet for Ela. Finally, she’s found a space where she belongs, a place where she is encouraged and applauded for being herself.
Just as everything is going so well, the wheel of fortune turns again and Ela is confronted with a change in her life that shakes everything up and brings a new set of challenges. It shifts her path once again and also causes her to reflect on her relationship with her mother.
Set in the late 1980s in Poland against the backdrop of the rebellious alternative music scene during a period of significant cultural and social change, the story is loosely based on the life of lead actor Lena Góra’s mother, the singer Ela Góra.
The cast is solid, but Lena in particular drives the film with her compelling and layered performance. The emotions and depth captured by Lena and the exploration of complicated mother/daughter bonds perhaps also reflect Lena’s own experience and relationship with Ela.
Tomasz Naumiuk provides cinematography that is atmospherically gritty, using cold blue-grey visual tones and a distinct lack of saturation. It’s an effective approach as it reflects the state of the times and complements the alternative music scene portrayed in the film. The cinematography and the music from Forbidden Bathing also work in harmony with the film’s score, from composer Andrzej Smolik.
Smolik’s score highlights the post-punk, alternative trance sounds Forbidden Bathing loves to use in their performances without competing for our attention or detracting from the band in any way. Smolik also knows when to be subtle and when to dramatize depending on the mood of the scene and its characters. In particular, the score is highly effective at heightening tension during moments Ela feels especially anxious, lost, or chaotic.
Lena and director Olga Chajdas wrote the screenplay for Imago together. This is Chajdas’ second feature film following her award-winning debut, Nina, in 2018.
Imago had its world premiere at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The film was selected as part of the Proxima competition, a section dedicated to new voices in world cinema and which replaced the festival’s former East of the West category.
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