Vampires never get old – I mean not only their age, but also their presence in pop culture. It’s no wonder that these mysterious creatures are often chosen as protagonists of film works, sometimes appearing in rather unusual guises. But I don’t think anyone before Paweł Podolski decided to introduce vampires into a Polish retirement home.
In Życie dla Początkujących we meet Monia (the first leading role of Magdalena Maścianica), an introverted vampire employed in a retirement home. In this way, she is able to feed on blood collected in sanitary conditions and effectively hide her secret among dementia-stricken seniors. However, her peaceful and monotonous existence is disrupted by Czarek (a disarming Michał Sikorski), who discovers Monia’s secret. On top of that, thanks to another vampire, Mirek (a convincing Bartłomiej Kotschedoff), disturbing things begin to happen in the center. Monia is faced with difficult choices that will not only affect the fate of the seniors, but also contribute to changing her life so far.
The film is based on three protagonists who are characterized by certain paradoxes: Monia is a vampire who, instead of seeing the elderly as possible victims, cares for them. Czarek loves life but knows he doesn’t have much of it left. On the other hand, Mirek, a would-be suicide, treats his immortality like a curse, looking for a way to finally escape his vampire form. Such a diversity of stories, personalities and perspectives among the characters makes the plot repeatedly develop in a completely unpredictable direction, surprising the viewer with existential reflections or creative jokes. The operation of alternating high and low registers brings lightness and flexibility to the plot – events related to passing and loss are not devoid of humor, while comical situations arising from the concealment of a vampiric identity are punctuated with reflections on the search for meaning.
Życie dla Początkujących balances comedy and seriousness, as well as humanity and vampirism, while showing us some universal experiences. Together with the characters, we slowly realize that just having a life is not enough – the key is to live it. And it doesn’t matter whether we do it by going out for coffee with someone, going to a game of our favorite team or arranging a date in retirement – there is always a chance that the risks taken will pay off.
Aleksandra Kubas