Sophisticated dark comedy/ Thriller film noir set in Stalinist Poland of the 50ies plays out perfectly the times where fear for the party ruled every day life and only an abundance of Wodka could smooth things out.

Spinster and plain Jane Sabina, leads an uneventful life sharing an apartment with her mother and grandmother, working for a Warsaw publishing house. Just when almost given up on finding a husband, she runs seemingly by chance into mysterious macho Bronislaw, perfectly casted Dorocinski. Quickly how ever the reason for the suitor is revealed. The women have to stick together to get out of this one.

A quirky noir comedy-drama from Poland. It is Warsaw in 1952, and Poland is under a Stalinist regime. Sabina, a woman perhaps around thirty years of age (played by Agata Buzek, showing her unusual beauty beneath the eyeglasses and the nerdy, clumsy demeanor of the character),lives in a crowded apartment with her mother and her grandmother (What happened to her father I believe is never mentioned). Her family is worried that she remains single despite her age and they keep presenting her dubious candidates. Just when her family is about to give up of matching her up with someone, a dashing stranger appears one night saving her when she was about to be mugged. They start dating, he seems handsome, masculine, articulate. But if he seems too good to be true, he is, because he has sinister plans towards her (I'm not going to reveal more of the plot here). Shot on black and white (with the exception of a few scenes happening in the present shot in color),with a good recreation of postwar Poland, perhaps the movie would have benefited from less stylistic flourishes. The performances by the lead Buzek and others (Andrzej Wajda regular Krystyna Janda plays her mother) is a plus.

With some films black and white photography is used as a cheap device to supposedly convey the mood of the past despite editing techniques and lighting that could only belong to the 21st century. Not so this film. The black and white photography reminded me of such classics as the Third Man, with deep black shadows and superb lighting, skills that I thought were lost decades ago. The cinematography and editing are unapologetically European, rather than American.

The mood of Warsaw in the period shortly after the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising is chillingly portrayed, while scenes in the present, shot in colour, are intriguing short episodes rather than annoying tricks, which such flashbacks/flashes forward often can be. Because the less you know in advance about the plot and events the better, all I will say is that while it it has humour in places, it is mostly of the noir variety. This well-paced intriguing thriller makes you want to know what will happen next, gives you some surprises and doesn't reveal the full story until near the ending, which was moving, funny, and probably could relate to many women deeply affected by world events over which they have no control.

All round excellent casting and acting, with Agata Buzek conveying Sabina beautifully. It's a relief to find a film where production values come first. It certainly made me think, and still does, one month after I saw it at the Karlovy Vary film festival. See it if you like the best of European cinema.