Palimpsest

Taking its name from a piece written where another text has been erased, Palimpsest is heavily influenced by a number of recent films, and, sadly, doesn't quite manage to fill the same space they left.

The film follows Andrej Chyra's Marek as he investigates the murder of his former partner, an alcoholic found dead having apparently been thrown from his apartment window. It is probably fair to call this a “twist” film, but it disappoints in comparison to others in the genre despite a number of nice and, on occasion, genuinely surprising touches.

The only Polish film to be exhibited in the 2007 Glasgow Film Festival, Palimpsest is a fine display of that nation's film-making talents. With a sumptuous, if sometimes heavy-handed score by the Warsaw Philharmonic, it is a showcase for good sound in film. The sound design is crisp, full of tiny moments of detail, almost obsessive in the attention it pays to little things like water in sinks, but most specifically footsteps. There are an awful lot of footsteps. The cinematography is similarly dedicated, focusing heavily on developing images and still photography. The palette is muted, gloomy even, and the setting is similarly grimy. The lighting too is bleak; at times the screen is absolutely black. The action is also minimalist, though the brief slices of violence are both brutal and shocking.

Though the film is laden with symbolism, after the initial revelation there is enough discussion of the 'truth' that there is no real abiding mystery. While seeming to aim for Lynchian depth, Palimpsest doesn't quite manage it. To be fair, it's technically brilliant, but whether the subtitles fail to convey a depth to the dialogue that the quality of the performances fails to pass across language barriers, or whether the project aims a little higher than it is capable of reaching, it doesn't quite manage to grip. If one is to see it, it's best to do so in a cinema, or at least with the biggest screen and best speakers that one can.