“Something is wrong with my memory” confesses Edward in front of a camera. He is 79 years old and has Alzheimer’s. However, the memory of his son Dawid works perfectly well, and he remembers the long periods of time his dad, who worked as a sailor, would spend away from home without keeping in touch. It hurts him to remember the small amount of time they spent together. He is 38 years old and his wife is about to give birth; he wants to build a family. He wants to be with his son. However, he decides to take care of his father, who is unable to take care of himself.

Memory as a lone witness of our past, regulates our conduct and the relationships we establish with those we love. ‘Me and my father’ uses this premise to present a delicate story about a father-son relationship which is suddenly pierced by uncertainty: can progressive memory loss help us make peace with the past?

Aleksander Pietrzak manages to make the viewer question this possibility through an excellently presented medium-length film that moves from drama into comedy with care and sobriety; through experience he has acquired working in projects such as Bridge of Spies by Steven Spielberg, where he was an assistant director.

How Pietrzak accomplished pathos displays, not only a nimble view of formal issues, but also his skill in directing actors, which can be seen in the extraordinary connection between Krzysztof Kowalewski and Lukasz Simlat, fictional father and son. Kowalewski has been working for over five decades in front of the camera and is one of the best respected contemporary Polish performers. Simlat is a young talent that has already participated in La Cabina, in its 7th edition, with medium-length film Magma.

‘Me and my father’ is part of the Official Section of the 10th Edition of the Valencia International Medium-length Film Festival La Cabina, that takes place from the 16th to the 25th of November at the Filmoteca of Valencia.

ME AND MY FATHER | Aleksander Pietrzak · Poland · 2017 · 30 min.