SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Anton Chernyavsky Whle watching this film I've grown to respect Hollywood much more. The thing is American films are usually professionally made (well, at least those which reach me here in Ukraine). Even if the idea is the simplest one possible, the films are still watchable and entertaining (well most of them). They know their stuff and at least don't make the simplest mistakes. This film done by the guru of polish cinema looked amateurish. The acting was rather poor. The lead roles often overplayed their emotions. I was constantly under the impression that most scenes took just one take and the director just didn't bother and was like "meh, it will do". The secondary role actors were even worse. Most of them looked like they are relatives of the production crew or were just random people from the street. The story never got me involved, it's just tedious. But there wasn't much to it anyway. Maybe the actors were so bad because of it, they just didn't understand what they are supposed to act. The characters have no depth and relations between them never get going. And the CGIs... 2003, two years after Shrek we get this kind of stuff?.. So the conclusion: there is no life in this film, it feels cheesy and uninspiring.

PINESKA It wasn't the best movie ever, but it was not bad. For non-polish people it could be a little weird.Film by Jerzy Hoffman based on the book "Stara Basn" written by Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski. The story of 'When the Sun was God An Ancient Tale' is happening one hundred years before the christening of Poland in the world of magic and pagan witchcraft, where the gods take active parts in the lives of ordinary men.In this powerful tale, the fates of the characters interlace in an everlasting fight between the good and the evil and in the human passions of love, hatred and the greed for power. In the land of Polan people, the power belongs to the cruel prince Popiel, who according to a legend was finally eaten by mice... He is set to ensure the succession of his son and will do it by all means including plotting, scheming and murdering.Casting was good. You can see all of the popular polish actors. And maybe I liked it because didn't read the book (required in all polish schools).

tony-587 Stara basn is a movie which has polarised many in the Sydney Polish community because of its sympathetic treatment of paganism in Poland. The solar deity of the Poles and the Viking Odin are portrayed as very real and very powerful. The Polish solar deity is arguably similar to the Old Testament god in terms of expectations placed upon his followers and his vengeful nature. The climax of the movie ties in with a particular biblical episode and one of the Tarot Major Arcana cards - you'll know what I mean when you see it. Divination and sorcery are shown to be effective on a number of occasions.While the modest budget of the movie precluded the dramatic special effects which we have grown used to, it has a rawness and honesty to it which I found absolutely irresistible.I unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone with an interest in alternate spirituality and to those Poles wanting to get a feel for what life was like for their ancestors who followed a simple faith developed by Poles for Poles, before Christianity was forcibly imposed from without.Tony Mierzwicki

khyrlik This could be interesting, historical film if made properly, but it definitely isn't. Oldest polish legend is base of original novel. But you see not much of it in this movie and it's not so easy to understand even for polish who know original. Sadly weakest side is actors' play. This is typical curse of every high-budget (as for polish movies - 10-15 mln.$). Best actors don't try to be professional but they think that this is just prize for being best-known people in polish entertainment, so no need to put any effort if you paid part of cast already. Overall - weak, boring and acted poorly. It looks like C-class US production. 2/10. If you want some interesting polish production look for lower budget, but much better made movies.