Twig

I came across the film’s main character during another film documentation. I was travelling around Poland in search of places without public transport and thus somehow cut off from the world. When I found myself in the village where Oliwka lives, I was struck by how many of the inhabitants are constantly wasted, how many men stagger by the side of the road and how the local shops are full of drunken customers. I didn’t think of making a film about the problem of alcoholism in the province through the feeling that I had already seen many films about this topic. When I met Oliwka I immediately knew that here was a story that needed to be told. Working with a child on a documentary proved to be an incredible adventure. While preparing for the film, but also during shooting, I often thought back to my childhood, which was very helpful in understanding the protagonist and her needs. The film, however, looks different from what I initially assumed. When I met Oliwka, I was most interested in her high level of erudition as for a child and her ability to throw sharp retorts at men who verbally harassed her. I wanted it to be a comedy where a little girl
bosses grown-up, drunken men around. However, over time, I have noticed that it is not just fun. Oliwia was tired of the drunken company, and their taunts crossed all boundaries. It moved me, so what I tried to include in the montage, were both comic moments and those that shock the viewer.
The biggest obstacle during the shooting was the widespread belief of the local community that we are secret TV journalists, only posing as film school students. Because of this belief, we were unable to persuade many of the shop’s customers to appear in the film. At times, we couldn’t even pull out the camera in the presence of some of them.
I was very keen to make this film because I know that the problem of alcoholism is very common in the province, but coming up with the idea of telling the story from the perspective of a little girl seemed much more relevant. I asked myself at the time how a childhood spent surrounded by alcoholics could affect a child’s future. Especially girls among perverted men. Funding for this film came only from our, that is the crew’s savings, but I think that due to our curiosity about the protagonist’s future, we will return there in a few years, hoping to find sponsors for the realization of the rest of the story.