MISPLACED
A warm, amusing and captivating story of a strong-minded Polish mother, Halina Nowak (Elzbieta Czyzewcka) who desperately wants her talented son, Jacek (John Cameron Mitchell) to have a life in the free world. On the eve of the Polish uprising, Halina, taking her teenage son with her, leaves her husband in Poland and heads for Washington D.C. where her feisty mother (Viveca Lindfors) and sister now live. Halina, willful and fun-loving, has a gift for life as her son has a gift for music. Although educated, she braves her job as a cleaning woman at a radio station before making the grade to anchor-woman.
While Halina embraces her new life to the full, Jacek is employed as a casual laborer Experiencing his first taste of school, Jacek falls in with a crowd of eccentric kids (including a far-out flirt named Mary), he crashes a car and ends up being suspended. Together, with a sense of adventure, mother and son confront a foreign culture gaining a new understanding of themselves and the country they have adopted as their own. This funny, sad, terribly believable film gives you an understanding of what it is to be MISPLACED.
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Reviews:
"Mainstream...rings true...His (Yansen's) assured first-time direction elicits sensitive, convincing work by the...cast."
-- LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Trials of a Polish mother and her son in assimilating into U.S. culture are given sensitive treatment in Misplaced. Sturdy performances by principals make this intriguing tale believable...strong performance is turned in by Viveca Lindfors..."
-- VARIETY
"MISPLACED is beautifully directed. Louis Yansen used his camera not to score style points by to create the proper atmosphere...Just the right look!..."
-- NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
"Most moving. . . Viveca Lindfors is magnificent..."
-- CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
"No Hollywood movie in recent years has possessed such visual sheen...Splendid performances...Yansen s film is a remarkable accomplishment..."
-- CITY PAPER, WASHINGTON D.C.
"Utterly charming."
--JOHN HARTL, SEATTLE TIMES
"Stirring and heartfelt. A warm-hearted, fascinating look at the immigrant experience."
--NEIL ROSEN, WNCN-RADIO
"Poignant and unforgettable...a hopeful and haunting look at the strength of the human spirit."
--JOANNA LANGFIELD, MOVIE MINUTE |
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MISPLACED
John Cameron Mitchell  Elzbieta Czyzewska
Viveca Lindfors as Zofia
Original Music By Michael Urbaniak
Director of Photography, Igor Sunara
Production Design, Beth Kuhn
Screenplay by Louis Yansen and Thomas DeWolfe
Produced by Lisa Zwerling
Directed by Louis Yansen
Color, 98 minutes |
