Filmoteka Muzeum

Dolce Vita is a short documentary film in which Aleksandra Kubiak portrays Henryk, a man with disabilities who needs to resort to begging on the streets of Zielona Góra to survive. The artist and the protagonist of Dolce Vita venture to accomplish a four-month dance course that will allow them to master Argentine Tango. The film is clearly divided into parts that document the tedious training and the staged scenes, including the dancing finale, which are shot in black and white.

Kubiak attempts to establish a relation through dance. The choice of tango is not random; the dance requires complete synchronisation and co-operation of the partners. For Henryk, a man with disabilities, dance training is also a matter of overcoming his physical constraints, while both partners need to engage in the process of renegotiating their emotional borders. Barriers stemming from Henryk’s disability and social status prevent the two from building a relation they wanted. The constraints of reality turn out to be impossible to surmount.

(KF)