Film: The Unpolished
Release date: 12th July 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 94 mins
Director: Pia Marais
Starring: Ceci Schmitz-Chuh, Birol Ünel, Pascale Schiller
Genre: Drama
Studio: Second Run
Format: DVD
Country: Germany
Despite what you might have learned from the ‘60s, the bohemian lifestyle isn’t for everyone. In a confident debut feature from director Pia Marais, The Unpolished takes an altogether different look at a broken home and teenager in crisis, when a parents’ hippie dream turns out to be a nightmare.
Ceci Chuh plays Stevie, a young teenage girl trying to find her way in life amongst the chaos and instability at home. Having spent time in Spain and Portugal, she has moved to a small German town with her bohemian mother. Here she is reintroduced to her father, who she has not seen since he went to prison for dealing drugs. Now Stevie hopes she can settle with her parents and lead a conventional lifestyle.
But her father Axel soon slips into his old ways, drug dealing and getting into trouble with the police.
Surrounded by drugs, sex and her parents’ vagrant friends, Stevie is frustrated and embarrassed - she lies to the people she meets about her family, claiming to be the daughter of a diplomat from Brazil. Instead of the freedom of the hippie lifestyle, she craves the structure and solidarity that other teenagers have. But being cunning and determined, Stevie refuses to be beaten - she gets herself enrolled at a local school, and begins to take control of her life…
Ceci Chuh really carries the film, with a fantastic performance as the central character. She brilliantly portrays the girl who, in many respects, has age and wisdom beyond her years, taking responsibility for both herself and others. She assumes the adult role in the family and makes sensible suggestions – such as for her father to get a job - which get laughed down. Yet what makes the characterisation so brilliant is that, whilst she comes across as mature and switched on, there are moments when you see her childish vulnerability, which remind you just how young she is. The scenes where she meets the other children in her area are brilliant examples of the awkwardness of youth, and the difficulties of forging friendships and trying to fit in.
Loosely inspired by the director’s own upbringing, the film brilliantly shows what it is like to grow up in a chaotic lifestyle. Whilst the cinematography presents the beauty of the landscape, and some of the appeal of the bohemian lifestyle, the film also shows how a way of life based on freedom can ironically be very constrictive. In some ways, Stevie’s behaviour represents the typical dissent of a teenager, but she shows how feeling unsettled and being forced to live a lifestyle which isn’t for everyone can make a person really unhappy. Her dad says: “Who cares where we live?” to which she replies: “Maybe you don’t.” As she sees her mother smoking drugs and her dad having sex with a stranger, Stevie instead tries to construct her own elaborate stories about her family, and to cut and piece together photographs which present an altogether different picture of her life.
A lot of the time you are not sure which characters can be trusted and where the story is going, which adds to the sense of disorientation that is present throughout the movie. One of Stevie’s fantasies includes claiming that she has had a relationship with a friend of her parents, Ingmar. Whilst a relationship does not develop, Ingmar brings a caring, human quality which is missing from her life. At first Ingmar comes across as a complete creep, but as the film goes on you see a genuine, open person that she is able to turn to.
Whilst the appearance of the characters might reflect the film’s title, the look of the film itself is far from unpolished. The soft, almost dreamlike shots give an ethereal quality, with lens flare adding a sense of drama and realism. As the camera moves from one shot to the next, there is a feeling of drifting, which emphasises the feeling of uncertainty. The atmospheric music also creates a sense of unrest. When Stevie and her friend take photos of the chaotic scenes around them you get a feeling that they are removing themselves from the situation, and in many ways as a viewer you are left with the same feeling. Whilst a commendable piece of work, The Unpolished leaves you feeling strangely detached.
Much of the look and themes of the film are very art house, and it could be seen as ideal festival fodder- which is probably why it was received so well at Rotterdam in 2007. Whether it reaches an audience beyond that is in doubt, but the Unpolished is a well crafted drama which, whilst leaving you feeling strangely distant, is a good depiction of a teenage life in crisis. KB
