Teddy Bear -- MIS

Smart, absurd, outrageously funny, brilliantly acted, scathingly critical, and, at least for Polish (and maybe other) audiences who grew up under socialism, tragic and moving. Unfortunately, much of its brilliance is lost in translation, and the film might not make sense to viewers unfamiliar with post-WWII Eastern European history. The general plot is as described by other reviewers; it serves as a vehicle for a tour of life under Soviet-imposed socialism, covering different social strata -- from the high-rolling, parasitic communist party minister residing atop the Palac Kultury to the motivation-lacking boiler room workers, drinking their lives away while the tenants freeze. At its core, the film is about a disintegrating society driven to and witnessing daily acts of absurdity. Of course, the depiction is a bit exaggerated, but it’s not far off from the reality of that time. Humor can be a powerful weapon.

Apparently quite beloved in its native Poland, this is a very amusing,sometimes over the top satire of life under the bureaucracy ofcommunism.The president of a soccer club tries to hold things together when hiswife destroys his passport just before he has to leave a trip to playin the UK, so she can beat him there and steal some money they stashedaway.Everyone is playing and coning everyone else, with sometimesunpredictable results.Not a great film, but a breezy enjoyable one.

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