Crows

Crows<br>Wrona - 2004-06-29Director: Dorota KedzierzawskaPoland, 1996, Color, 66 minutesThe crow is a rough, noisy, and unlikable bird. Unlikable perhaps due to its roughness and noise. 'Wrona' meaning crow refers both to the main character of the film and to her favorite game. This is a beautiful and relatively short film about a 9-year-old girl living with her mother in a coastal town with cobbled streets and abandoned beaches. A mother who is caught up in work and life and has no time for her. Throughout the film, there is no mention of the father. From the very beginning, after a few comic scenes, some upsetting shots, and a few beautiful moments, the viewer realizes that the protagonist has skipped school and is wandering the streets. The beauty of these scenes is largely due to the specific pattern in which the frames of the film are arranged, evoking the free and even illogical thought process of a child. For example, in one scene, a group of boys block the protagonist's path and say they will give her a candy if she pulls down her pants. In return, she goes and buys a candy as a gift for her mother, but in another scene, while she is petting a stray dog like a mother and playing with it, the dog becomes friends with her and eats her candy when the girl falls asleep. After that, the girl protagonist kidnaps a three-year-old child and plays the role of a mother for her. Thus, the two set off to 'discover the end of the world.' Along the way, a tender and non-sentimental emotional bond develops between the two children. Ultimately, this relationship reaches its final result in a bittersweet and stinging climax, thus completing a full circle and returning to the initial imagery of the film, where the main character was left alone between the sea and the sky. In one sense, 'Crows' reminded me of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' due to its extraordinary power in depicting the childlike or inner and mental world of a child. Unlike films produced in a specific country, which I will not name, that often fall into the trap of excessive sentimentality and superficial emotions to create such an effect, 'Crows' has managed to provide a rational and logical image of childhood for adults. This critic would not exchange a shot from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Crows' for the multitude of degrading films mentioned.