Overloaded child

Ola is 14 years old, and the head of the family. She struggles with insurmountable tasks, including taking care of Nicodemus – the autistic brother, who lives in her own world. She also oversees their alcoholic father, who is fond of them, but unable to cope with reality. Ola's greatest wish is for her mother to return home to her family. But the mother lives with another man, with whom she has also had children. Nicodem's forthcoming communion – "the first communion," an important rite of passage in a pious, Catholic Poland – seems to be the perfect opportunity to gather the family and lay the groundwork for her return.

Thirty-five days. Anna Zamecka's debut film has won many awards, including the European Film Award for Best Documentary and the Critics Week Award in Locarno, where the film had its world premiere. The recordings were made within a year of 35 spread over a year, and this cinematically mature story offers atmosphere and poetry. In an interview with Filmmaker Magazine, Zamecka said that Ola's situation finds a resonance ground in her own childhood, and that the film evokes deeply personal feelings.

The camera follows Ola and Nikodem's daily life in their cramped apartment, an hour's drive outside of Warsaw. The apartment is too small and the economy is slack, but the worst is missed by an adult who can keep track of family life. Ola does as best she can, and seems to do well, but does not realize that she is taking on too much responsibility.

Ola and Nicodem share the image of the ideal Catholic community, consisting of virtuous and godly families.

The movie language in Communion reminiscent of independent European film: it embraces beauty, without romanticizing Ola's struggle. The story is driven forward by empathy rather than condemnation, although society's failing support for these children is obvious. The absence of reproach, Ola's admirable ability to perform her role and the intimacy of the story make the film timeless, beyond the boundaries of the narrative. Communion is not a painful portrait of Ola's struggle in a dysfunctional world, but an exploration of her world, with its joys and shortcomings.

A sister's love. For Nikodem, Ola is not only a sister, but also his only caregiver. She loves him, threatens and cares for him at the same time, and though she experiences life as overwhelming and burdened, she never fails him. Nicodemus has a form of autism, and in all possible contexts he seems to be the one who falls outside. Still, everyone in the movie pretends it's not like that, and treats him like a kid who's a little different, but not so different.

It is unclear whether the way people behave around Nicodemus is due to indifference or goodness. There is a glimmer of humor when Nikodem's behavior is strange or absurd, but everyone seems as if nothing strange is happening. He goes through life without people really understanding how he experiences things, or understands that he has a strong need for recognition and help. Everyone is busy playing a "pretend" game – as if "pretending" for a long time will fix everything.

The recordings were made within a year of 35 spread over a year, and this cinematically mature story offers atmosphere and poetry.

Catholic Society. Nicodem's compulsive behavior – and the thoughts he can't sort – feels refreshing, as if he's trying to get the others out of his "pretend" game. He is expected to read the Bible and become a decent member of the church, with all its ceremonies and lofty ideals. In reality, the church is unable to accept and respect the fact that the boy in front of it is different. It is a fact that should not make him an outsider, but should not be overlooked. The coming communion is Nicodem's second attempt to pass this initiation rite – a few years earlier a priest refused to give him this important Catholic sacrament.

The strict church environment and Nicodemus seem to belong to two different worlds. In one scene, Nicodemus sits with a priest who asks him to make a list of the most important sins. Nicodemus does not agree that burnout is a sin; to him it is a virtue. He says it in such an innocent and joyful way that the moment becomes fun and engaging. Nicodemus defies the authority of the priest who does not acknowledge that this young boy is different – he prefers the boy to behave like everyone else. There is a sharp contrast between Nicodemus's authenticity and innocence, and the communion ceremony, which basically assumes that everyone is a sinner.

Ola and Nicodem share the image of the ideal Catholic community, consisting of virtuous and godly families. Ola and Nikodem's reality does not fit into this ideal, but they both try to align themselves as best they can. Nicodem's preparation for the Communion involves doing what is considered normal in the community around them. Their lives illustrate how the opposite of "normal" is not "abnormal" but "different", and sometimes "difficult". And that you have to keep going, even if you are really too young to handle the tasks life has given you.