I Never Cry (2020) User Reviews

Very Impressive Debut

[hillww · 8/10 · 28 July 2021]

A stunning performance by newcomer Zofia Stafiej grips you tight and never lets go.

What seems a simple story has great depths, showing the grimness of parts of Poland (even in 2020) that forces people to leave to find work in the richer parts of the EU, the effect on the families they leave behind and the grim exploitation people may suffer in their new lands.

Surprisingly supported by Film Ireland, this gave a pretty dark picture of how workers are abused in their new lands and while some Tourist Dublin was on display, there was a lot you'd want to avoid.

Ola sees is all learning all about her father's hidden live and the life of Polish Expats in Dublin.

It reminded ma a lot of 'The Last Resort' which is a true compliment. I'm sure it will stick with me for quite a while.

A small but gripping film

[j-m-d-b · 8/10 · 14 September 2021]

No big story here, just life-like drama. Good direction and some superb acting. Doesn't have or need a lot of overt art direction, the matter-of-fact visuals perfectly fit the mood. Not particularly pleasant in its social commentary, but as said in the film, "it is what it is".

The sorrows of emigration

[hof-4 · 7/10 · 6 June 2024]

Ola, 17, lives in Warsaw with her mother and her severely disabled brother in a rather depressing flat. Her father left long ago for a construction job in Dublin. As the movie opens, Ola is in her third try for a drivers license; Father had promised her the funds to buy a car as soon as she was able to drive. Ola appears to be a typical rebellious, moody teenager: she talks back rudely to adults, smokes despite their disapproval, is given to occasional heavy drinking. She holds an on/off job in a carwash that barely provides her with pocket money and sees a car and a driving license as means to have some semblance of independence and freedom in an indifferent or downright hostile society.

One day Mother receives a phone call; Father has died in a work accident and it falls to Ola to travel to Dublin to arrange for Father's remains to be shipped to Poland. For the rest of movie (which has comedic touches) we witness Ola dealing with bureaucracy, trying to collect Father's compensation for the accident that cost his life and at the same time forming a picture of Father's unknown life in Ireland. Some of the people she has to deal with are sympathetic, others indifferent, still others try to help but are frustrated by the system or their own interests.

Without preaching, the film (whose original title translates into As Far Away from Here as Possible) exposes the cruel system whereby the lower echelon countries in the EU are unable or unwilling to provide jobs for their citizens thus forcing them to emigrate to the more developed countries. Once there, if lucky, they find work, however menial and for minimum wages, are reduced to substandard living accommodations (sometimes a bed in a crowded makeshift dormitory) and are exploited not only by the locals but sometimes by their own countrymen that have preceded them. Acting is first rate, notably by Sofia Stafiej (Ola)who on screen most of the time. Director Piotr Domalewsky puts his script on screen skillfully, alternating the poignant and the tragic with the black comedy coming from the bizarreness of Ola's tasks. A quality film.

A Brilliant Yet Sad Film

[jsmallshaw · 10/10 · 29 December 2022]

An amazing, yet very sad film, following a young Polish girl as she travels to Ireland to retrieve the body of her estranged father who was killed in an industrial accident. It is a gripping movie with first class acting, in particular Zofia Stafiej in her first major role. The film also highlights the depressing and challenging life workers from the eastern countries within the EC face working in the more developed nations. The acting is brilliant as is the direction and cinematography. Highly recommended if you enjoy serious films with a strong message. We rated it five stars, available with English subtitles on Prime at no charge.

Superb, moving from simplicity

[lelesanti · 9/10 · 20 September 2021]

Great movie and wonderful story about migration, parent - child relation, love, growing up and lots more.