Richard J. Brzostek - 01/08/2009 
Girls from Nowolipki is a drama about four young women in the early 1900s. At the time, the area of Poland they live in is under Russian control and life isn't easy. Although these women start the film cheerfully eating apples, they will all face great difficulties and their futures are not romantic by any means. Some of the choices they make are not the best but the situations they face are not easy and undoubtedly influence them negatively.
I like how story has a spectrum of characters. There is always someone that has it better than someone else; but there is always someone that has it worse than another. For example, two of the women do not have fathers but those that do have other problems because of it. The paths of the four women take different turns but they all have a few similar problems.
The story makes one think on the women's relationship to men. Some of the women think that they need a man to survive but finding a good man seems to be nearly impossible. Some of their mothers encourage them to find a man and do whatever it takes to keep him believing he will help them out of poverty. On the other hand, one of the mothers discourages her daughter from dating and just wants her to study. Sadly, most of the men they know are really only interested in their bodies. Sooner or later, just about all of them use their body to influence men.
If you enjoy historical drams, check out Girls from Nowolipki. The story of Girls from Nowolipki is concluded in its sequel The Apple Tree of Paradise. I am curious to see if any of the girls learn to live without men or if they end up with a good guy in the end. |
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