Movies: Screw Mickiewicz (2024) by Sara Bustamante-Drozdek: A Polish "Dead Poets Society" for a New Generation

Rebellious Students and an Unconventional Teacher Screw Mickiewicz (Original title: Piepzyc Mickiewicza*) is a 2024 Polish drama film directed by Sara Bustamante-Drozdek. The movie follows Jan Sienkiewicz, an expelled writer who takes a job at a high school in Warsaw. His challenge is to save a notoriously rebellious and unmotivated class of students using literature and unconventional teaching methods. The film explores themes of second chances, friendship, and the power of literature.

Why to Watch This Movie: A Modern Take on a Classic Trope

• A Familiar but Updated Premise:

  • The film's storyline, a troubled teacher inspiring a class of misfits, is a well-loved trope seen in films like Dead Poets Society and Freedom Writers.

  • It updates this classic premise with a modern, "pathological" high school setting and attempts to resonate with a new generation.

• Relevant to a Youth Audience:

  • The film directly addresses issues relevant to contemporary high school students, aiming to be relatable through its portrayal of rebellious youth and their slang.

  • The film's popularity among a younger audience in Poland suggests it successfully tapped into their interests and sense of humor.

• A Glimpse into Polish Youth Culture:

  • For international audiences, the movie offers a look into the subculture of high school life and youth in Poland.

  • It provides a cultural context that may be interesting to those studying international cinema or sociology.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/piep-zyc-mickiewicza (US), https://www.justwatch.com/au/movie/piep-zyc-mickiewicza (Australia), https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/piep-zyc-mickiewicza (UK)

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29930759/

About movie: https://www.facebook.com/pieprzycmickiewicza

What Trend is Followed?: The Inspirational Teacher Narrative

Screw Mickiewicz falls squarely into the "inspirational teacher" narrative trend, a popular cinematic trope.

• The Unconventional Mentor: This trend typically features an unorthodox, often jaded, educator who connects with a group of troubled students whom the system has written off.

• Relevance through Literature: The teacher uses his passion—in this case, literature—to help the students find their own voices and overcome personal obstacles.

• A Symbol of Hope: The teacher becomes a symbol of hope and a catalyst for change, not just for his students but also for the rigid educational institution he challenges.

Director's Vision: Capturing the Spirit of Rebellious Youth

• A Gritty and Contemporary Setting:

  • Director Sara Bustamante-Drozdek's vision appears to be to create a raw and authentic portrayal of modern Polish high school life, complete with its challenges and youth subcultures.

• Tackling Difficult Topics:

  • The film seems to aim to tackle serious issues like rebellion, academic disengagement, and social alienation through its narrative.

• Relatability over Purity:

  • The director seems to prioritize a connection with the target demographic, using their slang and behaviors, even if it is perceived as "cringe" by some critics. The very title of the film speaks to this vision.

Themes: Literature as a Lifeline

• The Power of Literature:

  • The central theme is the transformative power of literature. The teacher uses canonical works not as academic tools but as a means for the students to understand their own lives, emotions, and struggles.

• Second Chances:

  • The movie explores the idea that both the teacher, an expelled lecturer, and the students, who are considered outcasts, deserve another chance at redemption and success.

• Challenging Authority:

  • The film challenges the traditional, rigid structure of the education system and promotes a more empathetic and unconventional approach to teaching and learning.

Key Success Factors: Audience Connection

• Targeted Appeal:

  • The film's most significant success factor is its ability to connect with its intended audience: Polish teenagers. The film's humor, style, and themes clearly resonated with this demographic.

• Timely Release:

  • Releasing the film at the beginning of the year allowed it to gain traction and word-of-mouth promotion from its target audience.

• Controversial Title:

  • The provocative and controversial title likely served as a powerful marketing tool, drawing attention from both fans and critics of the film's edgy premise.

Awards and Nominations: None listed.

The film does not have any listed awards or nominations.

Critics Reception: A Divisive Film

• IMDb User Reviews:

  • The few user reviews on IMDb are overwhelmingly negative, with an average score of 2 out of 10.

  • One user, screaminvamp, calls it "hopeless" and a "cheap imitation of 'Dead Poets Society'," criticizing its weak acting and "cringe" tone.

  • Another user, slimsadlik, compares it unfavorably to Freedom Writers, calling it "corny, cringe, and edge-like at the same time."

• Overall Summary: The critical reception is highly divisive. While the film has a low IMDb user rating, this does not necessarily reflect its popular appeal among its target demographic in Poland, where it seems to have found an audience. The film’s critics seem to be older viewers who are put off by what they perceive as its lack of depth and cheap imitation of classic films.

Reviews: Disappointing to Critics, Popular with Youth

• IMDb: The overall user rating of 4.8 out of 10, despite the scathing featured reviews, suggests a very mixed audience response. This likely reflects a stark contrast between its popularity with a younger, less critical audience and the severe disappointment of older, more discerning viewers.

• Audience Reception: The review that mentions "another 12-year-old online posting on her story that she's watching this movie for the 14th time" points to the film's success in appealing to its target demographic, despite its low critical scores..

What Movie Trend film is following: The School Drama

The film is following the classic "school drama" trend, where the school serves as a microcosm of society, and the conflicts within it reflect larger social issues.

• Rebellious Youth: The film uses the setting of a high school to explore the challenges faced by rebellious and marginalized youth.

• The Transformative Power of Education: It champions the idea that education, when delivered by the right person, can be a tool for personal growth and social change.

• Relevance: The trend remains relevant as school life and the challenges of adolescence are universally relatable.

What Big Social Trend is following: The Youth Rebellion in Poland

The film is a reflection of the "Youth Rebellion in Poland" social trend.

• Disenfranchised Youth: The film taps into the feeling of alienation and disillusionment among a segment of Polish youth.

• Rejection of Traditionalism: The provocative title, Screw Mickiewicz, a nod to a revered national poet, symbolizes a rejection of traditional values and a search for a new, more relatable identity.

• A Voice for the Unheard: By focusing on a class of "outcasts," the film gives a voice to those who feel misunderstood and marginalized by the older generation and the established educational system.

Final Verdict: A Youth-Focused, Divisive Film

Screw Mickiewicz is a film that will likely be remembered more for its reception than its critical acclaim. It's a highly divisive movie that disappointed older critics who found it unoriginal and "cringe." However, it clearly resonated with its target audience of Polish teenagers. The film’s success lies not in its cinematic excellence but in its ability to capture and reflect the rebellious spirit of a specific demographic, making it a culturally significant, if not critically acclaimed, film.