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Fledglings (Pisklaki) is the first feature documentary from Polish filmmaker Lidia Duda, and it follows a trio of first graders as they enter a boarding school for the visually impaired. It does a great job of showing the balance of highs and lows as these kids go through grades 1 and 2.
The main subjects are Zosia, Oskar, and Kinga. Zosia is the first child we meet. We’re introduced to her before she gets to the school, playing in the water with her mother. When her mother goes to gather pebbles for them to throw, Zosia expresses fears of being separated from her mother. So, when we find out the school is a boarding school, it’s apparent Zosia’s going to struggle. And she does, though she mostly tries to displace much of her discomfort by projecting it onto her doll. Logically you understand that to be able to go to school with their peers where they can learn life skills like reading and writing in a social environment they need to live away from home. But just because we understand, it doesn’t take away from the fact they are children leaving the nest at an age when most kids still have to beg to have sleepovers, and are asked to adult in ways most of their contemporaries won’t start doing for at least a decade. Oskar, who often struggles with self-confidence in regards to his school work, becomes hug buddies with Zosia. Kinga, who is quieter and more introverted than the other two and appears more at ease within the school environment, often provides helpful aid to the pair, almost like a big sister.
While Fledglings’ focus is on the schooling of these children and in many ways shows how quickly they are forced to grow up and go out into the world, it still shows them as children. There are pair of phone calls between Zosia and Oskar during their summer holidays that spoke perfectly to childhood and their age. I have been on the other end of the line to conversations like that during the summer, missing what just left behind even if you just returned to something you had been looking forward to since you left it. It’s relatable. Also, the dance lesson scene had perfect childlike humour to it. And even though they’re asked to mature early in some ways, they still behave like children. Even if sometimes, it’s in a more structured environment. Growing up, some young kids pretend to go on dates or have weddings. In this vein, the school puts on a function of paired dinner dates at the long tables adding structure to it, but the giggles are all the kids.
The film was made in black & white. Normally I’m a fan because I find black & white looks crisper with better contrast. I also understand the directorial choice as the subjects themselves would not see the space they are in for all its colours, so why should the audience? However, black & white also has this horrible habit of making people think something takes place distantly in the past despite other indicators to the contrary (like wardrobe). I think, especially with documentaries, it’s important to live in the present, so people don’t get an opportunity to write off any messages as being irrelevant.
Fledglings had its international premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in the Semaine De La Critique section.