Paweł Łoziński's The Balcony Movie is now showing exclusively on MUBI in many countries—including the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and Canada—starting November 30, 2022, in the series Viewfinder.
Can anyone be a movie hero? Can the world be locked in one film frame? Is there a chance to meet an entire cross-section of people by putting the camera in a fixed place?
These were the questions that I had in my mind when I started to make this film experiment in 2018, a long time before the Covid era.
I decided to check it out, to find the answers and to stop and wait for the world to come to me. I spent two and a half years standing on my balcony with a camera, catching everyone who walked past below.
They were my neighbors, random visitors, or simply passers-by.
I accosted them, asked questions; we talked about how they deal with life. Standing there with my camera for such a long time, I created a space for dialogue, a confessional of sorts, where everyone could stop by and tell their story.
Sometimes I was very hot on the balcony, other times I was freezing, but what kept me there for so long was the curiosity about who would appear next in my film frame. What story would they bring me? I think my curiosity and the time I spent on the balcony was rewarded. I met great people who boldly told me their stories. I gave them my time and attention, and in return I got closeness and honesty.
I discovered that my protagonists are in big need of these “analog” encounters in the era of the digital rush. Our conversations went far beyond a sociological study or a journalist reportage interview. These exchanges uncovered vivid emotions, thoughts, and attitudes, and showed a very sincere reflection of the human condition.
I was surprised to find how little I know about people. Hardly anyone is the person they look like. My protagonists carry secrets and mysteries, and are not easy to label. Every story is unique, and life always surpasses imagination.
That’s why I still believe in the power and truth of a documentary film.
I’m glad that you will meet my neighbors and I hope you will be able to see yourself in their stories.