Apolonia, Apolonia

At first, Lea Glob "only" wanted to make a film about Apolonia Sokol, a young artist who grew up in an art commune in an underground theatre in Paris. Her project, however, grew into an enthralling 13-year long cinematic conversation between filmmaker and painter. During all this time, a lot happened and changed on both sides: successes and failures, losses, and new beginnings. In her intimate long-term study, the Danish director records all this with a good deal of empathy and enduring curiosity. Thanks to the bold treatment of the extensive footage (together with film editor Andreas Bøggild Monies), one could call the film a double portrait. Yet there is a third important character: Apolonia's friend Oksana, artist and co-founder of the feminist action group Femen. All three women are in search of their artistic identity and the compatibility of art and life. Nonetheless, the film’s main character remains Apolonia and she certainly plays her part with verve; ironic, compassionate, difficult, charismatic, and sometimes wonderfully madcap. For the young painter, there is no difference between her identity and her artistic work, and she defends this attitude against all kinds of resistance, even her own doubts. To add another layer, Lea Glob integrates questions about her integrity as a filmmaker into the film. She is aware that she, too, is in danger of reproducing clichés that she not only depicts but also creates reality. Luckily, that has not stopped her from telling Apolonia's story in a movie you will want to see more than once.