THE GUEST

POLISH TITLE: GOŚĆ

In 2021, the border area between Poland and Belarus became a forbidden zone, three kilometers wide, where refugees found themselves brutally trapped. They had become the stakes in a political game: Belarus supposedly guaranteed free passage to the EU, but in Poland the refugees met with pushbacks, forcing them back across the border. Once in Belarus again, they were driven back towards Poland—a horrific stalemate in an inhospitable landscape of treacherous marshes.

Maciek lives with his family on the Polish side of the border. He has taken in an exhausted Syrian refugee, the 27-year-old Alhyder. After he has regained his strength, Alhyder faces the big question: what now? Where can he go without putting either himself or Maciek in danger?

The tension is palpable in this sensitive, sharply observant documentary. Without a hint of sensationalism, the camera reads the emotions on the faces of the silent Polish family members and their grateful guest. The situation is dire, and a solution remains out of reach. Yet, at the same time, the film is permeated by the warmth of human help and contact.

GENRE:

documentary

COUNTRY:

Polska, Katar

RUNNING TIME:

78'

YEAR:

2024

COLOUR:

colour

DIRECTING:

Zuzanna Solakiewicz, Zvika Gregory Portnoy

SCRIPT:

Zuzanna Solakiewicz, Zvika Gregory Portnoy

DOP:

Zvika Gregory Portnoy

EDITOR:

Zuzanna Solakiewicz

MUSIC:

Michał Pepol

SOUND:

Zuzanna Solakiewicz, Michał Bielawski, Zvika Gregory Portnoy

PRODUCTION:

Maria Krauss