Happy Man

2000 1h 24m PL

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 4

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story of three people and their complicated emotional relationship. A mother and her 30-year-old son live in a poor neighborhood in a big city. She is having trouble finding a job, he is having trouble finding his way in modern realities. The mother's sudden illness shatters the son's previous life. The new situation requires from him maturity, which he unfortunately lacks. A woman appears in his life, whom he uses in his game with his mother.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak
Maria Sosnowska
Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik
Marta
Piotr Jankowski
Jan Sosnowski
Roman Gancarczyk
'Rudy'
Mieczysław Grąbka
Rajmund
Andrzej Hudziak
Physician
Zbigniew Kaleta
Beata Kozikowska

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Małgorzata Szumowska
Writers: Małgorzata Szumowska
Languages: Polish
Countries: Poland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Małgorzata Szumowska, shot by Marek Gajczak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Zygmunt Konieczny. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jacek Drosio shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak and Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik and Piotr Jankowski carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0269932 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Małgorzata Szumowska directs. Marek Gajczak behind the camera. Zygmunt Konieczny scores. Jacek Drosio cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Poland. Dialogue in Polish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
226 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Małgorzata Szumowska, shot by Marek Gajczak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Zygmunt Konieczny. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jacek Drosio shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak and Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik and Piotr Jankowski carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0269932 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.