"THE WELTS" "Starring" "They say you always miss your past because you can never go back." "They say childhood is our own personal myth... whether painful or carefree." "I always wanted to be a child." "I'm thirty." "On the mirror..." "I found a message from God marking the end of my childhood." "Apparently I had one after all." "Could be worse." "But you have to pay for your stupidity." "It's better to take a beating from your father than from life later on." "Let me see your throat." "You're a mess." "Before the doctor comes you'd better do some gargling." "Saltwater." "Come on, while it's hot!" "Home remedies are the best." "There's no cure like Bach." "That's what your grandfather used to say." "That'll do." "You don't like it, eh?" "You'd rather play your hippy rockers." "In this house we've always listened to good music." "Such music can cure." "Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Strauss..." "Johann, of course." "Their very names have healing power:" "Johann Strauss, Haydn," "Beethoven, Bach..." "Artistic Supervision" "Executive Producer" "Set Design" "Costumes by" "Sound by" "Edited by" "Production Managers" "Music by" "Director of Photography" "Screenplay by" "Producers" "Directed by" "I'm the son of a nun!" "Whose son are you?" "Whose?" "The catechist is sick." "No religion class today." "Awesome!" "But before you leave, pick up your care packages." "Not you." "I'll speak to your father about you." "See?" "That's how you brush your teeth." "Till your gums bleed." "Not like you: two strokes up and down and you're done." "How come you're back so early?" "Don't you have religion class now?" "The catechist is sick." "Don't stand there like that." " What do you want?" " Our priest, you know..." "What?" " I liked his sermon last Sunday." " You see?" "He's a wise man." " I'll tell him what you said." " When?" "Now." "I'm on my way to see him." "Heat up some soup for yourself." "It'll put hair on your chest!" "It'll put hair on your chest!" "I hate this blah." "Yuck." "It tastes like piss." "Hot piss, of course." "Don't whine!" "When hard times come, you'll miss it!" "You weakling." "We need to have a talk." "He didn't eat his soup, weakling." "Don't lock the door." "Don't be afraid, you won't get any spanking!" "I hardly touch you and you start bleeding!" "One little push and your bones crack!" "I could end up in jail for that." "Don't eat then." "Be a wimp." "A gust of wind could blow you over!" "No girl will want you!" "Relax, I won't beat you." "But life will." "Weakling." "Quiet!" "Be quiet!" "Miss..." "The boys were competing in the toilet:" "who could pee higher up the wall." "I saw it!" "Shame on you." "During detention you'll explain why you were in the boys' toilet!" "But it was the girls' toilet." "Here's the coach." "Have a look." "I have the entire German team." "A gift from my uncle." "They're the best." "It's not their national team." "Look at mine." "With an autograph!" "Let me see." "Wow!" " Here you go." " You're a goner, you jerk!" "Enough is enough!" "Step up here," " both of you!" " He spat on it." "I said something!" "They're the ones who were pissing!" "Hands out!" "Come on!" "Are you gonna keep fighting?" "Somebody's after me..." "I kill him in a deadly fight." "I wake up and know where I am." "Herds of apes and packs of dogs, it's a wild beasts reserve, so cruel that even God won't help them..." "Turn it down!" "Here's the news." "This is the body of Father Popieluszko." "Turn it down, I said!" "Father Popieluszko ran down the square." "Don't kill me, he shouted." "The Party will see to it that those responsible for this crime are punished." "Are you locking the door on your Dad?" "It won't help you!" "Is this what I got you a tape recorder for?" "To play this shit at full blast?" "His First Communion gift, dammit." "Dammit!" "Dammit!" "I spent all my savings!" "I'll teach you a lesson, squirt!" "Kiss the recorder good-bye!" "Everybody else - a windcatcher." "Paint it white and red." "We'll use them for the next First of May parade." " Is that clear?" " Yes!" "Wojciech!" "Is that clear?" "What's your homework?" "A windcatcher." "White and red." "Good." "We have an assignment for art class." "But I've run out of water colors." " What do you have to do?" " A little windmill." "White and red." "We'll take care of it after lunch." "Get that big box from the closet." " You have glue?" " Sure." " And?" "What do you say?" " Perfect." "It'll be the winner." "See?" "You can count on your father." "But you just talk back." "Come on, Dad!" "You'd be helpless without me." "But mind you - my patience is wearing thin." "Obey your father for you'll have no other." "Do you hear me?" "So apologize for being cocky yesterday." "Were you cocky or not?" "Upbringing consists in rewarding for good deeds and doing what" " for bad ones?" " Punishing." "Yesterday's punishment was fair then." "And fair punishment should be appreciated." "But you never thanked me for it, did you?" "Thank you." "Get an A for the windmill and I'll reward you." "There's a soccer game on TV tomorrow." "Reserve the armchair for me." "I will." " Good morning!" " Good morning." "I'm glad you've done your homework." "Excellent!" "Nice job." "Great!" "What about yours?" "Let me see it." " Where's your hat and scarf?" " Oh no, I left them at school." "You must have a screw loose!" "You'll be sick again." "I keep buying you hats and scarves but you don't give a damn!" "Fine, get frostbite until your head falls off." "Maybe that'll teach you something!" "What grade did you get?" "Eh?" "Where's your head at during class?" "Is this a joke or what?" "I waste my time helping you, but you keep goofing around!" "Only one thing gets through to you." "You idiot." "I'll get you when you get back." " Hey, dummy!" " What?" " What do you want?" " You forgot your shoes." "Let him go." "Leave me alone!" "I ran away from my old man." " Why?" "Does he beat you?" " None of your business." "Wait up!" "My father beats me, too." "Come to my place." "Only Mom's home." "Dad's on a binge, won't be back this week." "Come on!" "I can tell you're cold." "Hi, Mom!" "You're late again." "Heat your lunch up on the stove and lock up before bed." "If your Dad comes back, don't let him in." "Just call your uncle." " Alright." " See you in the morning." "And take a shower!" " Your Mom doesn't sleep here?" " She's on duty tonight." "Catch." "Thanks." "Look, you don't have to go back." "Your father will tan your hide." "I know." "Stay here." "I know where my Dad keeps his playing cards" " with naked women." " Can I use the phone?" "Hello?" "Who is it?" "It's me, Dad." "I'm sleeping over at Bartek's house." "See you after school tomorrow." "Bye." "Good afternoon." " Good afternoon." " Wojciech isn't... feeling well, but he's sorry he ran away yesterday." "My Mom gave him some medicine." "Say hello to your Mom." "And he asked not to be spanked." "Take care." "No hat, no scarf." "He just won't listen to me." "Let him take this for a week." "If he's no better in two days, get him this antibiotic." "And keep an eye on him." "He's quite mature physically." "Youngsters are fast these days." "In theory you could become a grandpa." "Say what?" "Time waits for no man." "I know from experience." "When my daughters brought over their suitors, I had to throw them out head first." "Anyway..." "I must go." "Call me if you need me." "Praised be Jesus Christ." "For ever and ever." "C'mon..." "If your sins fill you with shame it's good." "For shame comes before repentance." "But you must make your confession to be absolved." "What was it?" "Dirty thoughts about girls?" "Yes." "Dirty acts?" "Sinful handling of your own body?" "In secret?" "Along with filthy thoughts?" "Yes." " How long has this been going on?" " Not long." "You do it at home?" "Or at school, during break?" "Where, when?" "At home." "Tell me everything." "Your sense of shame will cleanse you." "Confess!" "How often do you do it?" "With saints watching you from their portraits?" "At night or during the day?" "Does it happen in your dreams?" "My father came back." " You let him in?" " The door gave in." "I have your tests." "Antoniak - an A. Ciok" " B+." "Maksiak - a C." "And the worst of all - Wojciech Winkler's." "Just 3 points." "That's an F. Fifth in a row." "How are you going to pass?" "OK, it's your problem." "Do what you want." "Hold on!" "Will I see your father at the parent-teacher conference?" "Get out of my sight!" "It's Legia playing." " Have you done your homework?" " There's none for tomorrow." " And for the day after tomorrow?" " I'll do it tomorrow." "The game's on." " Let's see what's up..." " It's Legia, Dad." "You're gonna get it, son!" "The priest told me everything!" "Come here!" "But first you'll be punished for something else: playing hooky." "Here, smell it!" "Next time you're up to something, remember that smell." "You might change your mind!" "You know what it's for?" "Do you?" " It's a punishment..." "...for playing hooky." "You wanna bet on the score?" "Good-bye." "Class dismissed." "Hold on, Wojciech..." "What's the matter with you?" "You're a smart boy but you won't study." "You used to do much better." "Problems at home?" "You don't want to flunk, do you?" "Dad, I didn't tell her anything!" "I've no idea how she knows." "Maybe she..." "Maybe they ask all parents if they spank their kids." "I won't flunk, you'll see!" "I'll get passing grades!" "Teachers love to scare you!" "Say something." "Don't beat me." "I'll go and study right away." "You don't beat me anyway, right?" "My bottom hurts." "I think that cord was better." "Or that rubber hose." "My back was itchy, but by evening it was alright." "A whip is different." "It's about 12 inches long, hard and heavy." "He found it in the workshop some time ago." ""Come on, smell it, son"." "I can't smell anything, my nose is stuffy, Dad." "But it must stink." "It has to." "Someday I'll get back at him." "I want him to realize there's no need to put so much effort into it." "One lash does the job..." "Please!" "Have I beaten you?" "Yes?" "Then get even with me!" "Here you go!" "Come on, hit me!" "Hit me!" "Have I beaten you?" "All your life?" "So hit me back now!" "You've wet your pants?" "My father never saw me again." "Ever since I ran away from home, my existence has become negligible." "Nobody has claimed me." "People have just put up with me." "But I didn't end up in the gutter." "Everybody has relatives around to seek asylum with." "In those days the word asylum had good connotations." "It's me Wojciech." "I'm thirty and again I'm desperately wanted by someone." "And I'm trying to remember how I got myself into this." "I got tangled up, like a puppet..." " Hi!" "I'm back!" " Hi!" " How's everything?" " All right." "I pulled it off." "All right?" "Nine hours down there." "I'll tell you after a nap." "Excuse me." "You know him..." "Who is he?" "Jerk!" "Idiot!" "Who the heck trained him?" "He brings in all this shit from the cave here!" "Spreads his stinking stuff over my bed to dry!" "Get him out of here." "Amateurs!" "Dammit!" "Pick it up!" "Look," "I know you have your rules, but... isn't that a bit much?" "This is a cavers' base, not a hostel, lady." "Now you see why he goes alone?" "You can go through here or this way." "When you get to the fork go all the way down..." "Excuse me." "There's a young lady whose been bugging me for hours" " to introduce you to each other." " If she can annoy you..." " I surely don't want to meet her." " Oh yeah?" "Come on!" " We'd better go pack." " Take these maps." "I've got copies." "My name is Tatiana." "You already know mine." "You're good at antagonizing people." "That boy moved to another base." " Brokenhearted." " They're a bunch of immature kids." "They think this is a kind of gym." "Come here for kicks." "Wimps..." "First obstacle and they start to sweat." "They know nothing about discipline." "And make a mess all around them." "I wouldn't like a coach like you." "I stopped instructing after a fight with a jerk who dumped carbide in a cave 'cos he was too lazy to carry it out, idiot!" "Besides, for me going underground is like a prayer." "Very personal." "You believe in God?" "Yes." "But I have no faith in him." "Far as I'm concerned, he's helpless." "Why do you pray to him then?" "I pray for him." "Besides, I said "like" a prayer." "On my knees." "Or on all fours." "Lying down." "In the mud, water or ice." "All kinds of positions." "Why do you drop your eyes when I'm looking at you?" "You don't impress me, if that's what you mean." "There's nothing like a sensitive boy playing tough guy." "Hi." "Hi." "Hop in." "With all this stuff?" "I'll take the bus." "There's plenty room." "Come on." "Get in." "So this is where you live..." " Which floor?" " It's a secret." "Offended?" "If you keep to yourself, and you'll end up by yourself." "Want to spend the rest of your life in a cave?" "What a waste!" "Ms. would-be psychologist." "Thank your cousin for dropping me off." "Hey, Mr. Clean!" "Your backpack's dirty." "Where?" "What is it with you?" "I hate girls with a habit of kissing strangers on the lips." "It's adolescent." "Habit?" "It was spur of the moment." "But I'm not mad." "They say you take after your father." " I've run out again." " Can't you stop that" " noise?" " I turned it down." "May I?" "Next time buy your own or ask someone else." "Who?" "You're the only one here who understands me." "A human being versus a bunch of... people." "How do you explore those caves?" "A caveman without a light!" "Your fridge is empty, too?" " No." " Wait a minute." "Take it." "Still warm." "Thank you." "Very much." "So you say that girls go in there, too." " Where?" " We're out of cheese?" "Underground." "Into the caves." "Yeah." "Fewer than men, but they say we're tougher." " Is there any more cheese?" " Tougher, you say..." "To me they're all crazy." "Underground..." "Of your own accord..." "For free!" " Some people have their passions." " What about that cheese, for God's sake!" "Don't be mean." "I know what passion is." "Mom..." "Laughing at me, you smart-ass?" "Where do you think your smarts come from?" "The stork?" "Who used to buy you books, showed you the world?" "Who?" "So don't poke fun at your old mother." "This knife is blunt." "You tell me to turn down my music, then you wake me with Mozart!" "You don't like Mozart?" "Oh, it's you?" "I thought it was the neighbor." "I hate classical music:" "Mozart," "Bach, Haydn, Strauss..." "Johann, of course." "Just hearing their names makes me sick." " And what's that noise?" " Inferno." "No wonder you're at war with your neighbors." "Hello!" "Are you there?" "So you've tracked me down then." "Just to remind you about your birthday." " Look, my birthday..." " It's tomorrow." "I'm being naughty." "See you." "I'm looking for a friend but I forgot his apartment number." "Wojciech Winkler." "Apt. 112." "You're going to listen to music?" "I guess so." "Good heavens!" "Not again!" "For you." " What's this?" " Open it." "To make peace with the neighbors." "What are you doing here anyway?" "You just have one glass, right?" "Your problem." "I'm sorry." " Stop it!" " I must rinse the stain out." " No, you don't!" " Yes, I do." " Get out of my apartment!" " Hush." "Leave immediately!" "This can't be for real." "Come on in here." " See you." " Thanks." "Bye." "This is Wojciech." "Can I speak to the editor-in-chief?" "He said he'd be expecting my call." "You were to run my article two weeks ago!" "You canceled or rescheduled?" "I'm not gonna play hide-and-seek with you!" "I'm not overreacting!" "What?" "Canceled?" "Low ratings?" "What market research?" "Hello..." "Hold on!" "How are you, boss?" "Hi." " I told you he was busy." " Don't let me disturb you." "Your remedy for low sales!" "Good." "What are you staring at?" "Get out of here!" "Look, I really like you or else you'd have been out long ago." "We're changing our profile." "New target reader, more pictures, less text." "Increase sales by 40%% or else..., the publisher says." "I'm retiring soon, you know." "20 years on this job to end up being told what to do." "We've been bought out." " This one." " What?" "She'll make a nice cover." "Scumbag!" "What?" "How much money do you make?" "What will you eat now, eh?" "Charity soup?" "Good food for thought!" "Low ratings, huh?" "!" "Asses and pussies!" "You lowlife bastards!" "Please leave!" "He's gone crazy." "I bought a pair." "What's this?" "A scarecrow." "I hate birds shitting on my window sill." "Know how it stinks on a hot day?" "Do you hear what you're saying?" "It's sick!" "How could you do that?" "You've mistaken me for someone else!" "Evil runs in genes." "My father was a bad man." "Bad!" "Bad!" "Bad!" "You didn't run away from him to end up being just like him." "I'm still running..." "But he's catching up." "I hear his voice day and night." "I hear him in my own voice!" "I see him when I look at myself." "I'll never get away!" "Never!" "Never!" "Never!" "Those caves of yours..." "In Freudian terms it's a refuge from the world into the safety of mother's womb." "With its darkness and confinement." "Safety?" "Thanks. 4 degrees Celsius, humidity 100%% - it's oppressive." "He's right." "If it was warmer, you'd stay there for good." "Get off my back, dammit!" "Wojciech!" "Do you hear cranes taking flight?" "What's with you?" "Too much weed!" "You've smoked an acre of it." " You'll end up in hell, one for nuts!" " They have a separate one?" "Does that mean we won't meet up there?" " He's out of it!" " Bartek!" "Get a grip on yourself!" "You're stoned all the time." "They think you're a nut!" "I'm sick of it!" "Come on!" "You've screwed up with the girl and taking it out on me." "You know nothing!" "At all!" "We didn't meet yesterday." "You're always screwing things up!" "You had her at your fingertips!" "And?" "Go ahead, beat me!" "Get rid of everybody and paddle alone in your shit creek!" "A phone call..." "Yes?" " Mr. Wojciech Winkler?" " Speaking." "Hades Funerals." "Please accept our sympathy." "We offer a variety of styles in coffins, take care of the transport..." "What?" "Advertising funeral services over the phone!" "I'm in good health, so is my..." "Did you say sympathy?" "You're apparently the only relative." "Are you willing" " to pay for the funeral?" " A funeral?" "Don't you know your father passed away?" "What's up?" "Hello!" "Hello!" "Gotcha!" "Shut the door!" "He held out long, considering the metastases." "How many days was he here?" "Two months." "We spoke many times, inquired about his next of kin." "He was conscious the whole time, we had no reason to think..." "Your father's belongings." "Andrzej Winkler." "Can you stay up there for long?" "Yeah." "Bravo." "That's my boy!" "For twenty years now I've been learning to say "I'm sorry"." "I've practiced for hours on end, Wojciech - to make it sound good when I see you." "If I get to see you." "I'm recording this on your tape." "I never erased your complaints." "I listen to them every day." "I decided I have no right to look for you until you forgive me." "I just listen." "Such is my penance." "I think... it's good you don't want to know your old man." "You're different thanks to that." "It hurts!" "Tell me, why do things always hurt me so?" " Hush..." " Take the pain away!" "And now what?" "Be still..." "Things'll be different." "They must be..." "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." "The Lord will resurrect you at the last day." "Rest in peace." "We consign our brother's body to the grave." "Just as Jesus died and rose again he will transfigure our lowly bodies into copies of his own glorious body, we trust that he will raise our brother when he will come again." "Let's go." "I didn't know what kind of flowers you like so I took one of each." ""I think about you." "Constantly..." "With my skin, my blood, my pulse..." "After you'd left and only your scent remained," "I closed all the windows not to let it out." "I picked each and every hair from the blanket and my shirt." "And when all I had left of you was your scent and those hairs and some other minor traces" "I was like a dog unable to understand that his master would be back..." "When you disappeared," "I tried to recall your face... but I missed you too much to recall it." "I tried in vain to figure out... how we'd met, who we were, and whether 'you and me'" "already equaled 'we'."" "You must be on your toes." "Know what questions not to ask." "When to be silent, to touch, when to hang on or to disappear." "I want to be sure that you'll be here long enough to be noticed... but short enough to be missed." "And never turn your back on me in bed." "I've seen... fathers as gods, fathers punishing and teaching, gloomy... and all-knowing," "imperious and unapproachable..." "immortal, unaffected, invisible, unwavering," "prohibiting, commanding, creators and destroyers." "My father beat me without leaving any marks." "I envied other boys for their black eyes." "They aroused sympathy." "My welts were never visible." "You can't see them, but they still sting deep down." "I will have this baby." "If I'm pregnant, I will have it." "Can you go to the bathroom with me?" "By the way, this is the ladies' room." "I can't look." "FATHER" "Cast:" "English Translation:" "Grayna Bialik" "Special Thanks For Making It Readable:" "SEAN BOBBITT" "Subtitles  Positioning:" "Marcin Lesniewski"