The story told in this film is an attempt at translating the beauty and complexity of the royal game of chess into the language of normal life. The film becomes a peculiar study of the role of coincidence in human life.
Caissa features two main protagonists – Tomek and Kuba. Tomek, played by Radosław Smużny, is a projectionist at the Orzeł cinema. Krystian Wieczyński, who plays Kuba in the film, is a hard-pressed small businessman. Both protagonists used to be very close friends in their childhood.
One day, they bump into each other at the cinema. Even though they don’t say a word to each other, this quasi-encounter starts a chain reaction. Who are they to each other, after so many years?
Who are they to others? Who is Wiktoria (Anna Sawicka-Borkowicz) and will she be victorious, as her name signifies? The latter question will keep reappearing, until the end of the film.
This parable takes place on the chessboard of Toruń. The pace of the game is determined by the clocks on the Gothic towers. The edges of the board are tenement houses and walls. Who is the opponent? It might be a demiurge, it might be us.
Toruń as a chessboard
The entire action in the film takes place within the area of the Old Town.
Trivia
- Marcel Woźniak, a musician, filmmaker, actor, and currently also a writer, wrote the script for and directed the film. He made his literary début with the acclaimed book Biografia Leopolda Tyrmanda. Moja śmierć będzie taka jak moje życie (A biography of Leopold Tyrmand. My death will be like my life). He is currently working on a series of popular crime novels, set in Toruń.
Information on the film
Caissa
Poland 2011, 28′
Screenplay and Direction: Marcel Woźniak
Cinematography: Łukasz Bieńkowski, Radosław Naworski
Music: DJ Ike, Piotr Wypych, Hellsongs
Co-production: Fundacja Tumult
Cast: Krystian Wieczyński, Radosław Smużny, Paweł Tchórzelski, Anna Borkowicz-Sawicka, Anna Magalska-Milczarczyk, Jarosław Felczykowski, Leonard Cebo, Jaś Borkowicz, Karolina Ford, Marcel Woźniak, and others.
Selected Awards
Tofifest IFF – participation in the Lokalizacje competition.
