User reviews

Krister is languishing on a small, isolated island off the coast of Sweden when he is informed of the eponymous inheritance – a cottage in rural Poland. Middle aged and dejected, with a failed marriage and very little in the way of a career it seems at last there is something for him to look forward to, if nothing else it affords him the chance to revisit the country where he spent time as a teenager, and to catch up with old friend Gzregorz (now a successful eye surgeon, and gay).

While killing time in a café he bumps into Eva, a beautiful young nurse, and part time adult movie actress, with whom he begins an initially innocent relationship, though it is clear he wants more. However, this was no mere chance meeting; she is his daughter from a one night stand, a fact confirmed by DNA tests organised by Gzregorz. What follows is tale of woe (what else could it be with a premise like that), but to Porembny's credit it is never oppressive. The plot (which is based on a true story) is well paced and perfectly complemented by the naturalistic dialogue and documentary style direction, making the overall experience feel very much like witnessing a series of events as opposed to watching a film. Recommended.

One is immediately impressed by the look of this film. The opening sequences looks wonderful, with credits listed beside small, shifting squares of grainy film footage. The panoramic shots of Warsaw juxtaposing the old and the new were also beautifully realised. The light in Poland is exceptional for these kinds of shots and Porembny clearly understand this. The interiors were lovingly rendered, with the framing, lines and colours beautifully balanced and contrasted. My favourite little 'director's tag' was when the camera pans along the ceiling lights in the car park and then pulls down to reveal the figures of two men walking underneath them.

In another sequence red streaks of tail-light follow in a car's wake as it drives through the foggy night; it looks like mercurial dragon's breath.

The story is engaging without being enthralling and the acting is very solid, although it may have been more naturalistic if the performers were speaking in their native Polish tongue rather than English.

All in all, an extremely good piece of work from Edward Poremdny in his first feature film.

INHERITANCE was a very powerful film. A man falls in love with his own daughter before he realises that he has a daughter. The daughter knows before he does, and is suitably appalled. The very human way they work it all out is brilliantly realised by the acting of the two leads, and though tragedy strikes at the end it is tragedy with the quality of redemption in it. The script is very taut and rich and the film is beautifully shot and directed with great skill by Edward Porembny. Tomas Norström makes a great lead as the nihilistic, confused but basically well meaning dad, and Anna Powiersa is extraordinary as the daughter, a stripper by trade but radiating innocence and sweetness in the face of her sleazy destiny. Deserves to be seen by a wide audience, an unusual and strongly realised story.

Inheritance is no simple tale of an older mans lust for a younger girl. It is an evocative drama that examines Jungs controversial Electra complex beneath the shifting lights of post modern society. When Kirster returns to Poland after a twenty year absence he is in for a few surprises. The city itself is metamorphosing- everywhere the crusty old socialist skin is being replaced by shiny new surfaces. Kirsters old school friend Grzegorz is a successful ophthalmologist, and gay. The old butchers shop, now a sex shop, sells live flesh in two dimensional form in lieu of dead meat. When Kirster is introduced to a young nurse Eva , he feels himself powerfully drawn to her youthful beauty. A nascent love revitalises Kirster in ways he thought unimaginable....that is until the truth of Eva's identity is revealed. With accomplished director Edward Poremby at the helm the narrative remains tight and tense and never strays off the mark. The action is presented without any reflection or moral pronouncement, leaving the audience to guess the couples feelings. Hemingway believed that a good story was like an iceberg, the text itself, what is interpreted by the eye, represents a tiny fragment of the story, the bulk of the narrative lies beneath the surface of the words. In the case of Inheritance, Porembny's deft direction has all the hallmarks of a deep sea diver. He has plunged into the dark depths of this story time and again, and dredged up images that tantalise audiences with a sense that the truth lies beneath the surface following their revelation. The film certainly marks Porembny as a man to watch in the future.

Karen Cooper- Capricorn Stage and Screen Directions Evan Mallony