Lyuksemburh, Lyuksemburh

Just as Antonio Lukich dealt with his relationship with his mother in his previous film, this time he comes to terms with his father. Despite the personal elements, however, this is not an autobiographical treatise, but rather a universal tragicomic, absurdist road movie in which the preparation for the journey plays a more essential role than the journey itself. It may seem that the whole narrative is disjointed and incoherent, but where some see incoherence, others see the bitter absurdity of everyday life, full of burdens placed on them from above in the manner of Job and by those around them in the manner of Kafka, but also by themselves due to their own stupidity and self-centredness. Lukich shows all of the above as tragedy and comedy in equal measure. The specific peripeteias not only tell the story of the twins, but also illustrate the paradoxes of Eastern European history in general terms, not only the major historical paradoxes, but primarily the minor personal ones. As a result, Lukich’s coming to terms with the myth of his own father mirrors the whole region’s need to face its own past – not necessarily to get all of the answers from it, but simply to confront it, because only then is it possible to finally move on. (05/07/2023)

Um filme sobre dois irmãos esquisitos cujas vidas são afetadas por vários acontecimentos, incluindo o ferimento grave não intencional de uma mulher idosa e a hospitalização do seu pai moribundo algures no distante Luxemburgo. O tom do filme oscila vagamente entre o drama social sério e a comédia, rica em cenas e diálogos cheios de humor negro. A narrativa é igualmente desconcentrada, abrindo pequenos motivos de enredo e abandonando-os em seguida, aparentemente sem atingir realmente qualquer objetivo. No entanto, o final termina com a viagem dos dois irmãos ao Luxemburgo e com algumas reviravoltas satisfatoriamente introduzidas, de modo que o filme salva-se, para além do humor verbal, com uma série de momentos fatais cheios de ironias da vida. (03/07/2023)