SCREENINGS OF "TWO LESSONS" BY WOJCIECH STAROŃ IN USA

On Monday, 16 December, the world premiere of the documentary "Two Lessons" by Wojciech Staroń took place. The film, made as a combination of "The Siberian Lesson" and "The Argentinian Lesson", is going to be shown at the Maysles Cinema till Sunday, 22 December.

"Two Lessons" is the latest documentary by Wojciech Staroń, combining "The Siberian Lesson" (1998) and "The Argentinian Lesson" (2011). Its world premiere took place last Monday, 16 December, at the Maysles Cinema in New York. The film is going to be shown until Sunday, 22 December, and its American distributor is the Non-Fiction Cinema Releasing.

The first part of the "Two Lessons" is, according to the chronology, "The Siberian Lesson". The protagonist of the film is Małgosia, a young Polish teacher, who is also Wojciech Staroń's girlfriend. Małgosia travels to the vicinity of the Lake Baikal to teach Polish to the descendants of Polish exiles. Through the film we can observe how the relationships between Małgosia and her students, as well as the director, change in time. Although the reality surrounding the protagonist is grim, Staroń has managed to create a very intimate story, full of emotions.  

In "The Argentinian Lesson" shot 15 years later, Małgosia and Wojciech Staroń, a married couple with two children, go to Argentina. For their son this trip is going to be something more than just discovering a new language. Thanks to an Argentinian friend, little Janek enters a fascinating world of fun, but also gets to know the bitter taste  of childhood, prematurely infected with the problems of adults.

Although it has been just two days since the premiere of "Two Lessons", the film has already received positive reviews in American press. Among many others, Jeannette Catsoulis of "New York Times" described it in enthusiastic words, granting the film with the prestigious "New York Times Critics’ Pick" designation. Words of praise have come also from the reviewers of such websites as Slant Magazine, Hammer to Nail, Pop Matters or Louis Proyect. You can find the list of the mentioned reviews below.

- New York Times
- Slant Magazine
- Hammer to Nail
- Pop Matters
- Louis Proyect