ÒPI

ÒPI

The horror polish cinema has been waiting for decades

Krystyna wants to be called “Trina.” She’s almost 18 and dreams of escaping her family home in Kashubia. It’s the 1990s, she wants freedom, and all she has waiting for her at home are her mother’s constant reproaches. Her mother is a subdued seamstress who only ever smiles at the television, and mostly when John Paul II is on screen. Her religious obsession is becoming unbearable, so Krystyna and her best friend start planning their escape. But her plans fall apart when her mother’s younger sister arrives for a visit, bringing their paralyzed grandmother with her. Tensions between the four women keep mounting, and grievances buried for years finally erupt in a screaming match. Then Krystyna learns something about herself so terrifying that it will shake her entire world to its foundations.

“ÒPI” is the horror Polish cinema has been waiting for for decades. Deeply rooted in Kashubian beliefs, it turns folk magic and superstition into a source of genuine terror. Almost as terrifying as the wall units and unmistakable ’90s aesthetic that “ÒPI” is steeped in from beginning to end. This world feels familiar, yet there is something deeply unsettling about it. The film builds its atmosphere slowly, revealing one horrifying piece of the puzzle after another. Folk rituals and local legends, so familiar and yet rendered strange and frightening here, make “ÒPI” stylish without ever feeling over-stylized, strangely intimate and utterly original. Here, grievances whispered under one’s breath can be every bit as terrifying as bloodied fingers and decapitation, while the finale will knock the more faint-hearted viewers flat. And it will be worth it.

“ÒPI” is Marta Giec’s feature directorial debut. She also co-wrote the screenplay with Dominika Kłoczewiak, creating a dense, emotionally charged story steeped in dread. Four women deliver outstanding performances: Wiktoria Kruszczyńska, recently seen in the series “Piekło kobiet”; multiple award-winner Gabriela Muskała; the surprising Magdalena Boczarska; and Iwona Bielska, who uses her role in “ÒPI” to brilliantly riff on the performance that made her unforgettable in the cult classic “Wilczyca.”

Following the premiere screening on October 23 starting at 8:30 PM, we invite you to a Q&A with the filmmakers.
The Q&A will feature:

Marta Giec
Weronika Kłoczewiak
Gabriela Muskała
Wiktoria Kruszczyńska
Magdalena Boczarska
Pitry