Description

38,5 (2010)
10min | Documentary, Short | 28 April 2010 (Germany)

Storyline:

Mariusz is a 15-year-old Polish boy who is training as a competitive boxer. The title refers to his weight (38,5 kilos), which must be increased by 4 kilos to move up a weight class. We see him in class, getting a detailed physical exam, training with other youth, at home and wandering alone. While this is listed as a brief documentary, the editorial comment of the cinematography and its editing present the picture of an adolescent boy who has a pretty miserable life. He is berated by his coach for “moving in slow motion”. His friends seem hardly to know he is there. His mother complains at every step and only wants him to have a girlfriend so that there is someone to do his homework. If there is to be a good ending to his constrained life, in isn’t visible in this 10-minute slice.

User review:

Mariusz Koch a boy. and his every day life. pressures from school, family, trainer. training, ironies, need to be the expected one for everybody. an ordinary story who could not surprise. only impress. because it is the way of many sportsmen. because it is one of many stories from the East. and its meaning is not just a social situation picture or heroic fight for be real good, sacrifices, importance of family, early responsibilities and the choice of a Polish teenager. but the struggle to be yourself. the short story of Mariusz Koch is portrait of a generation. poor people. and the windows to be more than poor. not exactly ambition. only the right order of things. the life. an useful film. about the way. to the victory.

Director: Grzegorz Debowski
Writer: Grzegorz Debowski
Star: Mariusz Koch
Country: Poland
Language: Polish
Release Date: 28 April 2010 (Germany)
Filming Locations: Ruda Pabianicka, Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland