Hania

Famed director of photography Janusz Kaminski (he’s been Spielberg’s DP since Schindler’s List) directs his second film. Christmas Eve. Ola and Wojtek, a childless young couple, invite to their home Kacper, a boy from an orphanage. Wojtek recalls his own nightmarish childhood with his heartless authoritarian father, but this special day spent in company of a resolute and imaginative boy allows him to overcome his lingering pain and fear and liberate himself from his past.


L.A. Times
December 12, 2008

'Hania' warms hearts at holidays

"Hania" is a shameless heart-tugger and is all the better for being so. The second feature directed as well as photographed by renowned cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, best known for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "Saving Private Ryan," proves to be potent holiday fare.

A young Warsaw couple, Ola (Agnieszka Grochowska) and Wojtek (Lukasz Simlat), have been asked to invite a boy from an orphanage to share Christmas with them in their flat. Self-possessed, bright and imaginative, Kacper (Maciej Stolarczyk) is an instant delight, but his presence brings up Wojtek's unhappy memories of his own childhood, when he was at the mercy of a harsh, authoritarian father.

"Hania," which takes its title from a tree cherished by Kacper, proceeds in a familiar Yuletide groove of gift-giving and feasting only to veer in a daring, unexpected direction. (Not even a gratuitously tinkly hearts-and-flowers piano score does serious harm.) A beautiful-looking film with accomplished performances all around, "Hania" is head and shoulders above most Christmas movies, though is too intense for younger children.

-- Kevin Thomas "Hania." MPAA rating: Unrated. Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes. In Polish with English subtitles. At Laemmle's Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 274-6869.