Dir. Jan P. Matuszyński / Poland / 2016 / 123 minutes

Polish with English subtitles

An unusual trio is at the center of Jan P. Matuszynski’s THE LAST FAMILY, a harrowing portrait of surrealist painter Zdzislaw Beksinski (Andrzej Seweryn in an award-winning role) and his relationship with spouse Zofia (Aleksandra Konieczna) and frenetic son Tomasz (Dawid Ogrodnik), a radio broadcaster. Seweryn breathes life into the role of Beksinski’s shy and frustrated artist father, as do Konieczna and Ogrodnik. With infinite attention to period detail, THE LAST FAMILY recreates 28 years of their strife, haunted by psychological torments clearly articulated for all to see within the dark horrors of Beksinski’s apocalyptic body of work.

Shorts Before Features

Becka Barker's 5 minute film screens before The Last Family.

And When Alone Repeat is short meditation that brings together amateur weather balloons, a dashcam meteorite, hand-drawn rotoscoped animation, and Robert Frost's consternation with poets who, he felt, used language to obscure rather than illuminate.