Fatherland Premieres at the 79th Cannes Film Festival

Fatherland, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, premiered as an In Competition film on Thursday at the Grand Auditorium Louis Lumière in the Palais des Festivals. Pawlikowski returns to Cannes after earning Best Director in 2018 for Cold War, and in 2015, his film Ida won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming the first Polish film to win an Oscar.

One of the more heavily anticipated films at Cannes as a result of Pawlikowski's history with the festival, the story of Fatherland certainly takes its time, despite its runtime only being 82 minutes. Some shots last up to multiple minutes long, and pretty much every single shot is static. The film’s slow pace took some time for the audience members of the premiere to settle into, stirring in their seats at the film’s beginning before settling in for the ride. Though slow-paced, each frame of the black and white film is completely visually enrapturing, and is full of magnificent performances, from subtle depictions of grief and forceful confrontations. With this feature, Pawlikowski weaves a tale of post-war Europe that explores themes of identity, guilt, family, and love.