Trieste Film Festival 2024: It’s Only/Not Only A Body… Or a Short Film About Freedom | Review
Polish director Michał Hytroś takes us on a cinematic journey of liberation and self-discovery with It’s Only/Not Only A Body… Or a Short Film About Freedom, where raw beauty meets profound introspection.
Directed by Michał Hytroś, It’s Only/Not Only A Body… Or a Short Film About Freedom premiered at the Krakow Film Festival in 2023, and celebrated its Italian debut at the 35th edition of the Trieste Film Festival.
The filmmaker employs a direct cinema approach to follow Zosia, a young woman from Poland, as she travels the country in her camper van to connect with young women struggling with eating disorders. In the midst of forests, fields, or by bodies of water, she photographs them in their natural state while they open up about their discomfort. Through her camera lens, Zosia captures the beauty of their bodies in simplicity, offering these young women a sanctuary; within the wild nature – accompanied by a delicate and soul-stirring sound design, their bodies exist and move, simply, and they temporarily free themselves from the concern of their appearance and others’ judgment. The visual approach adopted by the director delicately accompanies these moments, preserving the subjects’ modesty, sometimes by showing Zosia at work, implying the nude subject off-screen, and sometimes by filming the subject through Zosia’s camera.
The filmmaker introduces several animated sequences throughout the film, crafted by the talented Karina Paciorkowska, representing the demons these young women face, akin to a glimpse into their psyche, thus reinforcing their narrative. Because it’s not easy for someone who hasn’t experienced it to understand what someone with an eating disorder might feel. Depicting episodes of crises with animated images also expresses the idea that these individuals’ self-perception is not reality but rather a distorted image.
While Zosia teaches body freedom to the young women she meets, the film also depicts her personal journey towards bodily and spiritual freedom. She encounters a moment of doubt and questions her lifestyle, which doesn’t allow her to share her life with someone. During a session, she meets a young man who sparks her desire to try opening up for a while. She settles with him in Warsaw. However, the feeling of confinement quickly arises, and Zosia eventually hits the road again. Overall, the film allows the viewer to grasp the complexity of Zosia’s character, who proves to be endearing and inspiring.
The film concludes with a reflection that resonates, it seems, with many of us today. Our existence isn’t determined by achieving social goals, whether related to our appearance, sexual orientation, or the acquisition of a home and the establishment of a stable family. We are free to be whoever we wish; we are our own determinism.
