“I want to live”: considered a “plant.” The great role played by David Ogrodnik

Mental retardation? Or maybe just a connection issue? This dilemma greatly influenced the fate of the main character of the film “I want to live”. This is the story of Matthews, a boy with cerebral palsy, inspired by true events.

When Matthews was born, doctors declared him a “plant.” But the boy’s parents (Arcadius Jakubec I Dorota Colak) They never came to terms with this diagnosis, believing that despite the communication problems, their son had full intellectual competence. Matthäus grows up surrounded by care and love, and acquires a loyal friend – Anka, who lives next door (Anna Karczmarczyk). But fate forces him to separate from his family and he ends up in a specialized center. Away from his loved ones, he fights a difficult battle for dignity and the right to a normal life. Mateusz’s situation will change when a young volunteer (Katarzyna Zawadzka) arrives at the facility, attracting the attention of a doctor (Anna Nyrebecka) who is working on experimental treatment methods.

“Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, Cce się Ży is a film with a decidedly optimistic tone. It’s a touching story, but it also makes you smile and makes you think about life, death, love and normalcy. It’s a story that gives hope, contained in a positive message,” he explained. With the power of spirit, you can overcome adversity, push your limits, and enjoy life as it is. Find happiness. But you can’t give up. never”. . Maciej Biberzycka.

“They say there’s no real drama without comedy. These values ​​stack up — life isn’t just sad or just happy. These tones blend. It was clear to me from the beginning that I didn’t want to make this film in a sad way. I started writing the screenplay with this in mind. I wanted it to be a movie I would watch for myself. Because I am a viewer first and a director second. To tell you the truth, I would have no problem enduring this story if it were just a two-hour movie, about the difficult fate of the main character, without a trace of humor or optimism, and of course “Life Feels Good” is not a comedy, but a drama, which does not change From the fact that it has a positive connotation, that’s what interested me, because also the person whose life this movie is “inspiring, despite his disability and difficult fate, has a great sense of humor and can laugh at himself” and his disability. The main character I created is also like that. I wanted him to be a smart, sweet boy with a sense of humor,” said the creator of “Inferno” and “Drzazg.”

“I did a very long documentation that lasted about a year. I visited the centers where people with cerebral palsy reside. I talked to the prototype of my hero, as well as to families with children with cerebral palsy. I heard many stories and somewhere ‘processed by my imagination . That’s how this movie was born. “Cce się Ży” is inspired by the fate of a boy who has been the basis for all my works, but it is not his 1:1 story. Maybe 30% is true, the rest is fiction, but it’s very grounded in the reality I know,” the director explained.

He played the main role in the film David Gardner. “The degree of fusion between the actor and the mentally disabled character is truly impressive – Ogrodnik admitted that the help of the famous pantomime Bartosz Ostapchuk played an important role in working on the role. Ogrodnik’s physical transformation is very organic: with twisted limbs, a “bird-like head, and tight facial expressions – “His performance goes beyond the ordinary task of acting, becoming a physical and psychological challenge,” wrote Interia reviewer Tomas Bilinia.

The younger version of his hero played a great newbie Kamil Tkac. “I was involved in the project from the beginning so that I could fully prepare for the role,” Ogrodnick said. “He quickly became very confident in what he was doing. His intuition pushed him toward the solutions I would suggest to him, sometimes even before they came to mind. That was the moment I said ‘stop’ – ‘I don’t.’ There is nothing to add here. He does it great!”

“There was no distance between us. We didn’t have to communicate with each other or explain much. I looked up to him. Kamel is a very receptive guy. When there were some more difficult parts, I explained to him, ‘They need time and more work.’ He was not afraid to trust that he would succeed in the end. His amazing physical preparation played an important role. He does full jiu-jitsu and is very durable. In this case, rehearsals can last a very long time, sometimes two or three hours,” recalls Ogrodnik.

“David was a great teacher and I thank him very much for the way he prepared me for this role. I would love to play with him again, with Ms. Dorota Kulak and Mr. Jakubek. Stay with them a little longer so as not to forget each other. Although I know I will never forget them,” said the affected debutante, whom we soon saw with his twin brother Andrei in the war drama “Run, Boy, Run.”

“I dream that the film will draw attention to the difficult situation of people with disabilities in our country and spark a discussion on this topic. People affected by this problem cannot wait for the release of the film. It is a unique opportunity for them.” “Speak out and show their situations and problems, but above all, educate society The true image of people with disabilities. I would like people with disabilities to go out on the streets of Warsaw smiling at least as much as I had the opportunity to meet them and work with them. I want to meet them wherever I can go. Przemek, who was the prototype of my character, is over thirty years old. He has one dream : He would like to go to the cinema in Warsaw. “For us, this is a trivial dream,” Ogrodnik explained. “For him and perhaps many people like him, it is the biggest dream.”

Shortly after its premiere, a wave of controversy arose around the film. All thanks to an article in “Super Express” by Vanessa Grzybowska dedicated to Przemyslaw Krzanowski, who inspired the filmmakers. Parts included, among others: “I don’t want to live. I feel more and more lonely (cue ‘alone’). I feel exploited by the film crew (cue ‘use’ and ‘camera’). I was treated like a rag doll (cue ” “A doll and a rag”) – Przemek tells us, “Przemek is lying on a mattress in the toilet and no one needs him anymore – says his angry mother Zofia Matera. – The director gave him a piece of cake. This is a commercial film that focuses on the cash register industry.

In response to the post, Maciej Biberzycka issued a special statement. The director wrote: “I gave three and a half years of my life to the film Chce się Ży. I feel very strongly about what is happening regarding the article that appeared in Super Express.”

“When the ‘scandal’ broke, I was unable to contact Przemek’s mother and find out her version. We could not talk until after the material was published. Then Ms. Zofia told me that it was not her – as the author, Vanessa Grzybowska told me the situation – I asked Super Express, But it was the journalist who found herself. Later, she twisted her words, writing about the alleged injustices and the hostile attitude towards the filmmakers. I think my answers were manipulated in the same way, taking the words out of context and completely deleting what is really important “- Biebrzycka continued.

“Ms. Vanessa Grzybowska, in a telephone conversation with me, mentioned that she was guided only by the goodness of Przemek. If that is the case, then – bearing in mind that it was she who wrote the first article about him 12 years ago, and now we have made a film inspired by his story – perhaps it was It is necessary to reach an agreement, for example, on a joint foundation that would raise funds to purchase useful equipment for Przemek and other residents of the social welfare home in Medzelice, a house that – by writing about it as “Bedul” – was simply slandered, as were the wonderful people Who work there. I think the author of the text just wanted to create a false scandal where there is no real scandal. Neither Ms. Grzybowska nor the editorial did anything for him,” the creator said. Super Express employees – who had known Przemek’s situation perfectly for many years – did nothing for him. “They did not do exactly what they accuse others of with such cruelty today.”

At the Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia in 2013, “Chce się Żyć” was awarded the Silver Lion. In addition, the film received the Golden Clapper Award, the audience award for the film with the longest applause. The production also received five Polish Film Awards – Eagles. Gardener was given the lead role, and Nehrebecka and Jakubik were given the supporting roles. Pieprzyca’s text was also appreciated. The final statue was the audience award.

Soon after, Ogrodnik also obtained a “Polityka” passport. He received it “for his acting, which combined great technical skills and great charisma; for the role of a disabled man in the film Chce się Ży, which has already entered the history of Polish cinema.” In addition to Ogrodnik, the director of the film “Floating Skyscrapers” Tomasz Vasilevskiy and the star of the film “Ida” – Agata Kuleza were nominated for the Politika Passport Prize.