- Title: FILM FESTIVAL-CZECH/RED SPIDER "The Red Spider" explores human desire for evil
- Date: 7th July 2015
- Summary: KARLOVY VARY, CZECH REPUBLIC (JULY 6, 2015) (REUTERS) "THE RED SPIDER" CAST POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) ACTOR, ADAM WORONOWICZ, SAYING: "But seriously, this is a world that is on one hand terrifying, but on the other hand I began to notice that it attracts me, it's fascinating in a bad way. It attracts, because we never knew it and will never know it and de
- Embargoed: 22nd July 2015 13:00
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- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA6I0ZODUG0X7SXKORV4LGBCN17
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Polish director Marcin Koszalka's "The Red Spider" spun its sinister web over Karlovy Vary film festival on Monday (July 6).
Set in 1967 Krakow, the film's dark scenery sets the mood for Poland under communist rule and the events about to unfold.
The main character, Karol [played Filip Plawiak] is being pushed by his parents to be a doctor, prefers to spend his time practicing diving. The boy gets increasingly detached from the world and is soon entangled in a serial killers game.
"This is actually a film about a desire for evil," Koszalka said about his debut.
"And this evil cannot be named, this evil has no definition, you cannot describe it. Every attempt at describing this evil in my case would be hopeless. The same way as you cannot describe why someone wants to be evil or why someone is inspired by something, drawn [by it]," he added.
In a life drained of positivity, Karol's attention becomes focuses on the trail of serial murders paralysing Krakow with fear. He soon finds himself standing in the way of a murderer whose weapon of choice is a hammer.
Inspired by real life events, the director went to great lengths to ensure his film matched reality as closely as possible. Koszalka's experience in documentary films helped achieve the effect, Plawiak said.
"Marcin's [Koszalka's] ear as a documentarist, a documentary film director was for us a big... challenge at moments, but also great help because we felt safe in the sense that Marcin would not allow any falsehood, every moment in this film was realistic," Plawiak told journalists at a news conference.
The film's style is raw and many shots are filmed in dim or dark conditions, dispensing just the right amount of image - and dialogue to the viewer.
"[W]e actually came to a conclusion that we don't need to talk so much. Many scenes were reduced, some sentences were removed that said more, or explained more about our relations," one of the film's lead actors, Adam Woronowicz, said.
The usually withdrawn Karol is intrigued by the murders and finds a thrill in chasing the killer - more than he got from competing in athletics.
Woronowicz seems fascinated by this kind of attraction which he himself finds hard to resist.
"[T] is a world that is on one hand terrifying, but on the other hand I began to notice that it attracts me, it's fascinating in a bad way. It attracts, because we never knew it and will never know it and despite that it pulls us in, intrigues [us]. We are a little bit like a fly just caught by a spider and we wait as it slowly approaches, or a small mouse in the sights of a snake; we cannot do anything, we are paralysed," he said.
Karlovy Vary film festival marks its 50th anniversary in 2015, with "The Red Spider" joining around 200 other films from international filmmakers. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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