Krzyk: Losing Control | SXSW 2024

In an evocative session at the Film.io Inside Series, correspondent Lauren DeLisa Coleman engaged in a deep conversation with writer/director Ewa Wikiel and cinematographer Konstantin Minnich about their compelling narrative centered around Lena, a 38-year-old woman from Poland. The film unfolds with Lena witnessing a horrific accident on a motorway en route to Łódź, where she is powerless to save Nina, a woman trapped in a burning car. This traumatic experience haunts Lena, leading to severe insomnia and propelling her on a quest to uncover the identity of the victim. Wikiel and Minnich shared insights into how they navigated the challenges of portraying Lena's intense emotional and subconscious journey. The film masterfully blends reality with nightmarish visions, as Lena's search for answers becomes a metaphorical and literal journey through her own psyche. The discussion highlighted the film's exploration of themes such as trauma, the human psyche's complexity, and the desperate search for closure and healing. Through Wikiel's narrative prowess and Minnich's visual storytelling, audiences are drawn into Lena's harrowing yet transformative experience on the motorway, a journey that transcends the boundaries of her reality.