Strikingly beautiful, but curiously aloof from its earthy subject matter, this portrait of a little-known Polish-Roma poet feels like the kind of film that would be more at home at a festival than in the release schedule. A patchwork of moments from the life of Bronislawa Wajs (Jowita Budnik), known as Papusza (or Doll), the film is always striking – the black and white cinematography is gorgeous (self-consciously so, at times) – but you wonder whether this overstuffed quilt of a story might have worked better with a leaner, more direct approach. As it is, the film is a bit of a slog and bizarrely, given the subject matter, rather lacking in poetry. It comes to life as a portrait of the Roma community of which Papusza was both part and, latterly, estranged from. The use of music, in particular, is evocative.
