Hi, Tereska

Hi, Tereska is set in an outer suburb of an anonymous Polish town. The background of bare concrete houses that seems to cause some distancing between the people, reflects the grey sobriety of the drama.Tereska, the 15yearold protagonist, comes from an average Polish family: a father who likes a stiff drink and a mother who seeks solace in the church. The mood at home is anything but warm and hearty. Tereska dreams of being a fashion designer and starts a course to become a seamstress. At school she gets to know a new girl, who introduces her to the world of smoking, drinking, stealing and overly physical boyfriends. This only serves to make Tereska more shut off and indifferent. But she also has a boyfriend: Edek, the handicapped doorman of the factory where her mother works. In exchange for a kiss, the lonely Edek lets her play ‘tricks’ on his insensitive legs (put out a cigarette, smack). Edek is one of the few people close to Tereska.Inspired by news articles about young murderers, Robert Glinski has made an impressive portrait of the Polish ‘X generation’: a generation without roots, without values and without any future. In his film, he tries to gain a psychological insight into the deeds of his characters. Most of them are played by nonprofessional actors; Glinski also has them speak their own dialect.