The central story of a Polish mother brutally murdered by her two sons is a gripping one… Stylishly made and powerful… Mateusz Kosciukiewicz is especially good as the disturbed Artur, whose capacity for violence is transparent.
The debut film from Pawel Sala, Mother Teresa Of Cats is based on a real life crime that shocked Poland a couple of years ago. The film opens with 22 year-old Artur (Mateusz Kosciukiewicz) and his 12 year-old brother Marcin (Filip Garbacz) being arrested by police in a rural motel, kicking off a series of flashbacks – beginning with a day and then spiralling back to cover months – to gradually reveal the origins of the crime.
Insurance saleswoman Teresa (an effective and sympathetic Ewa Skibinska) oversees her largely dysfunctional family – angry Artur who thinks he has paranormal powers; disturbed brother Marcin; a mentally disabled daughter Jadza and a tormented and weak husband Hubert, recently back from the Iraq war, plus a host of felines scattered through their flat. But while the structure allows the script to delve into certain parts of their lives, there are no easy answers.
Mark Adams, Screen Daily
Presented in cooperation with the Embassy of Poland in Dublin
